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Armenians Remember Sumgait Massacre Victims

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  • Armenians Remember Sumgait Massacre Victims

    ARMENIANS REMEMBER SUMGAIT MASSACRE VICTIMS

    The Voice of Russia
    Feb 27 2013

    Andrei Smirnov Feb 27, 2013 18:38 Moscow Time

    On February 27, Armenians throughout the world are remembering the
    victims of the Sumgait massacre. Twenty-five years ago, the seaside
    town of Sumgait in Azerbaijan, then part of the Soviet Union, became
    the scene of bloody anti-Armenian riots in which at least 32 ethnic
    Armenians were killed, according to the official estimates, although
    some sources say that the real figure is much higher.

    A week before the riots, on February 20, 1988, the parliament of the
    Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region with the predominately Armenian
    population petitioned to Moscow to be allowed to reunite with Armenia.

    That was the beginning of the ongoing territorial dispute over
    Nagorno-Karabakh, which led to a full-scale war between Armenia and
    Azerbaijan in 1991-1994.

    When the Sumgait pogroms broke out, the authorities first branded
    them as hooliganism and did not intervene. Troops were brought in only
    the following day but observed neutrality until they themselves were
    attacked by rioters. Tougher measures followed. The riots were quelled
    and a curfew imposed. Within days, however, anti-Armenian violence
    swept Baku, Kirovabad, Hanlar and other Azerbaijani cities. The
    conflict snowballed and in 1990 the Karabakh war began. Tens of
    thousands were killed and hundreds of thousands became refugees. In
    May 1994, an indefinite ceasefire was signed, putting an end to the
    bloodshed. A quarter of a century since, that ceasefire still holds.

    The Sumgait events were the first symptoms of the looming collapse of
    the USSR, says Alexander Krylov, a Caucasus expert at the Institute
    of World Economy and International Relations.

    "The central government was in a deep crisis and losing control at
    all levels - republican, regional and nationwide. And bursting from
    beneath were destructive processes as nationalistic-minded forces
    sought to achieve their goals. In Azerbaijan, it led to violence in
    Sumgait and other cities."

    Can the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict ever be resolved? Political scientist
    Stanislav Tarasov thinks that it can, though not in the near future.

    "There were other forces playing in the region and destabilizing the
    situation. And now a solution looks more promising than ever. The
    first scenario is that both sides will demonstrate good will and opt
    for peaceful coexistence. But the current policies of Armenia and
    Azerbaijan make that scenario unlikely. It is also possible that,
    given the geopolitical fragmentation of the region, the independence
    of Nagorno-Karabakh may, after all, eventually be recognized."

    The Sumgait tragedy was mentioned at a UN Security Council meeting
    this week. Top UN officials highlighted the need for joint efforts
    to protect civilian in armed conflicts. The Armenian side reaffirmed
    its commitment to settling the Karabakh conflict peacefully and in
    keeping with international law.

    http://english.ruvr.ru/2013_02_27/Armenians-remember-Sumgait-massacre-victims/

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