The History Doesn't Forgive Poor Memory

V. Gurko-Krjazhin

FOREWORD

In February 1988 the conflict named in the mass Media 'Events in Nagorno-Karabakh Region and around it' began.

It was the period when perestroika processes hadn't driven many thousands of people into the streets of cities and settlements. The 1st Congress of People's Deputies which for a fortnight tore all the country away from work and which riveted everybody young and old to TV screens, hadn't yet taken place, the antialcoholic law hadn't been of any apparent effect yet, miners' strikes provoking the tide of working people actions in different parts of the country rooting the economy out from stagnation state and throwing it into the abyss of economic crisis had not yet begun.

In one of the first documents on NKAO adopted on March 23, 1988 it was noted that following the article 81 of the Constitution of the USSR the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR resolves. 'Then the items followed.

At that time not many people payed attention to the fact that the resolution of the Presidium on a whole was adopted just in connection with Article 81 of the Constitution What does this article read? 'The sovereign rights of the Union republics are protected by the Soviet Union'

As it s known Azerbaijan has never raised the territorial claims to anybody. On the contrary the territorial claims on NKAO were raised by Armenia. However, the supreme power of the country alluding to the quite precise legislative basis of the protection of Azerbaijan rights hasn't ensured such protection

On March 24, 1988 the Resolution of the CPSU Central Committee and the Council of Ministers 'On Measures on acceleration of the socio-economic develop­ment of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region in 1988-1995' was adopted.

It ran as follows 'Only for last three five-year plans the volume of the industrial production in the region has increased thrice as much, the agricultural production- 1,5 times as much. The share of the region in the republican and Soviet division of labour has been also considerably increased, the integration processes are developing actively. The provision of families with dwelling space, hospitals, libraries, clubs has improved

Further a number of shortcomings was mentioned, for the soonest elimination of which the law made provision for the large scale investments to the region economy, other social and economic measures. Alas, more than 2 years have passed, but the realization of the resolution has not yet begun. And how it could begin when Armenia put obstacles m every possible way?

The Item 3 of the Resolution mentioned above should be particularly noted It ran as follows 'Taking into consideration the wishes of the Armenian part of the Azerbaijan SSR the Ministry of culture of the USSR and the Council of Ministers of the Azerbaijan SSR should consider the question of creating the Armenian dramatic theatre in Baku'. Apparently somebody believed that this way they could put an end to territory claims The real development of events led to burning of the Armenian church in Baku in December, 1989 The Moslem Mosque in Yerevan had been burned much earlier.

From the very beginning of the conflict they were looking for the perpetrators. Among them the names of former leaders of the republic, opponents of perestroika and corrupt elements were mentioned. However, the leadership of two neighboring re­publics have been changed more than twice opponents of perestroika are outnumbered, one can hardly hear their voices. As far as the corrupt elements, both Armenian and Azerbaijani, are concerned anyone who visits the market outside our region will be convinced of the fact that they not only coexist peacefully but also collaborate closely.

Therefore somebody else is quilty. The history will help to clear up this question. But still the attention of a reader should be attached to a number of amazing transformations of the persons for which struggle for 'national dignity of the Armenian people has become a kind of profession

The modest little known publicist now is considered to be an outstanding writer, the director of the provincial tiny plant supplying tomb-stones at a reasonable price to Stepanakert and Yerevan cemeteries has gamed the halo of a great martyr. The former chairman of the Committee on vine-growing and wine-making, being torn away from his favourite job has become the region Party leader and doing his bit to the development of the region retired from affairs to Moscow. The research worker of one of the Moscow Scientific Research Institutes known to nobody today is introduced to the general public as a specialist in national problems, which she has never taken up...

And they - and not only they - became deputies, dominant influences!.. The conflict was gaining in strength terribly and tragically, everything was changing, as Englishmen say, from bad to worse. But nothing changed in the speeches of these persons. Though only constumes were being changed especially ladies' ones, they were getting more and more luxurious; it was just the period when for anybody bying even ordinary shirt ment a holiday.

Meanwhile the fire of national conflict without putting out in one region of the country has enveloped other ones. Many regions are covered with blood. And there are so many national conflicts smoldering all over the country, and who can be sure of the way they will develop.

It's quite obvious that people invested with power to pass resolutions in the center could hardly imagine both the historic roots of such conflicts and the consequences of their own speeches.

Addressing the XXVIII Congress of the CPSU the first Secretary of the Azerbaijan Communist Party Central Committee, President of the Azerbaijan SSR AYAZ NIYAZI oglu MUTALIBOV stated: 'Frankly speaking, the functionaries from the center not knowing the history of the problem, not holding the situation, and not burdening themselves with the objective analysis of conflict reasons as a matter of fact have turned Azerbaijan into proving ground for testing ill-considered resolu­tions. And what is the result of it? Prolonging withstanding and people dying. It came to the creation at the country territory the frontier post between two republics. In Armenia 140-thousand national army headed by non-governmental republic authorities has been created.

In the history of civilization there is no any precedent when one state could annex the territory of another state without declaring war. For some reason nobody could understand the main slogan of the Armenian side: 'Miatsum'. Anshlus! Just with the motto 'Anshlus' Adolf Hitler occupied Vienna.

Armenian side performed the magnificent plav about bloodthirstiness of Moslems-fundamentalists from Azerbaijan. Even European Parliament swallowed this bait; it couldn't descry the idea of 'anshlus' and after tragic events in J'anuary, 1990 the resolution denouncing the purposeful deportation of the Armenians from Azerbaijan was passed. And after this resolution the Parliament took a decision to send its representatives to Transcaucasia for having more detailed view of the situation.

Gift for bloody plays and their magnificent performance by disseminators of Great-Armenian national ideas, in particular by 'Dashnaktsutiun', was noticed as long ago as 1919 by an English journalist who unlike the deputies of the European parliament arrived to the region, and only after firsthand having view of the situation he drew own concludes. Thus, in particular he wrote about 'Dashnaktsutiun' party: 'This is a terrorist organization which for many years deliberately induced the Armenians to attack on Moslems. Being deservedly punished by the latter they began trumpeting about it in order to win the sympathy to poor Armenians'. He wrote: 'For a dashnak the killed Armenian is something valuable. If one can use such case as better as possible, he can have many advantages for the cause of propaganda'.

Very often new is well-forgotten old. Not many people know that so-called 'Karabakh Question' is a part of Armenian question and Armenian question is a part of East question. The works of late XIX and early XX centuries were dedicated to this problem. And unfortunately today they are undeservedly forgotten.

Among them there is an article of historian V. Gurko-Kriazhin published in the Big Soviet Encyclopedia (edition of 1926). He wrote so positively and strikingly that Stalin historiography tried to forget his name. However, the members of the editorial board of this encyclopedia such as the editor-in-chief O. Y. Shmidt, academicians N. I. Bukharin, G. M. Krzhizhanovsky and others seemed to draw in V. Gurko-Kriazhin not in vain.

But the historian was also deceived, '...the most honest elements among Armenian emigration change their former orientation, and breaking with their past return to their Motherland giving themselves up. After the Soviet revolution' - he noped,-'Dashnaktsutiun is undoubtedly doomed to definite downfall'.

Today we consider this article useful to be published once more.

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