Mr. Robert Arakelov, the Armenian scholar living in Baku condemns Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan

/* Baku, May 26, Sahil */

by Azade Balayeva

Robert Arakelov has together with the Azerbaijanis been fighting against the Armenian separatism for 12 years.

Since the start of the Karabakh conflict it was the first time I communicated so closely with a person of the Armenian nationality. This person, who is Armenian by nationality, lives in Baku. He is the author of two books on the Armenian occupation. Robert Karoyevi Arakelov was born in 1937 in Baku. As he said, he used to live in one of the yards across the Philharmonic. Mr. R.Arakelov completed in 1955 secondary school N 6 in Baku and graduated the faculty of Physics and Mathematics of the Azerbaijani Pedagogical Institute. He worked as a teacher 4 years in a science research institute and 1 year in a technical school. Then he worked as a secretary in the Information Institute at the State Planning Committee. In 1971 in Moscow he presented his thesis for candidate of sciences. After the return to his home institute he worked there as head of division till the Karabakh events started. He is the author of 111 articles, he wrote many poems and stories. He has a series of poems devoted to the theme of Karabakh. As he himself pointed, even during the soviet times "Kvant" journal in Moscow published his works.

Being involved in scientific and creativity work Mr. Arakelov till 1990 lived a quite life. However, just like every Azerbaijan citizen's life was poisoned by the Armenian chauvinism so did it make the Arakelov family live painful days. During these troubles his wife, being Azerbaijani by nationality always supported him. They have a daughter, who is a high school student at this time.

After January 20 events Mr. Arakelov had to leave Baku and move to Turkmenistan. In a book he entitled "Notes on Karabakh" he thus described the day he left Baku: "The captain made a command and we began to head toward the Turkmenistan shores of the Caspian Sea. And on the native shore the last lamp goes off and is out of sight. I said with my shaky lips: "That is all there is to it, farewell to Baku! I wonder if we well meet again…."

Mr. Arakelov could not stay long in Turkmenistan. After two months - in March of 1990 moves to his sister house in Stepanakert (Khankendi). He lives about a year here. But even among his religious and blood brethren his days are full of pain.

WHAT DID ROBERT ARAKELOV WITNESS IN STEPANAKERT?

- Schools of Stepanakert had been divided into two groups. One group was supervised by the Ministry of Education, the other - by the Ministry of Defense. 12-13 years old boys threw grenades like genuine professional warriors. I recall visiting one house in Stepanakert. The hostess gave me a chicken to slaughter. I have never chopped any chicken's head off, and therefore refused to do that. At that moment her 7 years old son, who was studying in the first grade, came up from school. In an instant he chopped off the head of the chicken in such a way that it seemed as if it was one of the simplest things he did. There is a saying that the character of a person is know by the manner they treat animals. This child was acting as if shedding blood was easier for him than drinking water.

The Armenians used to put a target on the tree and compelled children to hit on that target. A child, who failed to hit the target they used to beat and told him to go and train more.

Buses that went from Shusha to Aghdam and from Agdam to Shusha passed through Stepanakert. Specially trained children stoned these buses and swore and offended the passengers. I could not stand that and always protested. For this I was beaten up several times.

NATIONAL "PATRIOTS" AND NATIONAL "ENEMIES" OF THE ARMENIAN NATION.

- Every day at eight o'clock national organizations used to gather the people in one place. A leader of the Armenian separatism Zori Balayan paid visits to these organizations day by day. Together with 6-7 persons he would gather everyone in one square, and would lead the campaign for "Miatsum". At that time, Viktor Polyanichko was sitting in the Regional Committee of the Party. When I went there to visit him for the first time I saw a young boy, who had come from villages of Stepanakert and who was getting ready to leave for Baku. I was asked "are you going back?" I said yes. "Why are you going back?" they asked. I answered: "I can't stand, it is impossible. You are so numerous but cannot shut up Balayan's mouth. They said special people always surrounded him. Each day he changes the places where he overnights." Mr. Arakelov in his "Notes on Karabakh" points out that Stepanakert' leadership kept a special room for Zori Balayan in the premises of the Regional Committee of the Party. However his "creativity" annoyed the city's superintendents, and one of them met with him. The conversation that took place between them Balayan published in "Sovetskiy Karabakh" newspaper. The dialogue went like this:

The Officer (addressing Balayan): If you do not stop your national and separatist campaign you will be expelled from the region by the authorization of the Azerbaijani government.

Balayan: Have you read the authorization yourselves?

Officer: Yes, I have. 

Balayan: Give me that authorization.

Officer: I don't have it, I did not bring it.

Balayan: Have you seen that authorization?

Officer: Seen and read.

Balayan: I am not going anywhere. Give me the authorization and then we will see.

This master of intrigues and scandals named Zori Balayan needed this document for new speculations under the name of "democracy". Although he did not get hold of the authorization he was not worried at all and sent telegrams to the President of the USSR, the Prosecutor, Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Supreme Court: "Behold, my rights stipulated in the laws of the country are violated".

- I have also seen baroness Cox from Great Britain and Galina Starovoytova. They played an immense role in intensifying the passions in Nagorno Karabakh. Both of them were coming to Stepanakert from Armenia. In those days the director of the airport of Stepanakert was a woman from Baku. She was of the same attitude together with me. She did not want to give permission for landing to planes coming from Yerevan, and for that reason they blew her house up and murdered her son.

There was one journalist named Grigoryan who was a nice person. Once to find the solution to the problem he arrived in Baku. Someone from Baku told those in Stepanakert that Grigoryan was in Baku. As soon as he returned to Stepanakert her was murdered in front of his house.

ACQUAINTANCE WITH POLYANICHKO

- After they found out that I was a candidate of sciences they recruited me for a job in the Gas Department of Stepanakert. I worked in the planning division. The head of the Department was dashnak. He maintained permanent contacts with the people fighting in the mountains. He kept radio-transferring device in his car. Once in one of the villages a gas pipe was damaged and we went to repair it. He was in the car. When the police stopped the car and confiscated the radio-transferring device they asked him to give a written explanation. We had to deliver the explanation to Polyanichko. But the head of the department himself and his people were afraid to deliver it. They sent me with it. As for me, I was looking for a reason to meet him. First one colonel came up to me. I said I had to see Viktor Petrovich. When I was with him he said: "Are you not ashamed to come to me with a counterfeit document?" In it was written that the device was needed for contacting the group doing the repair work. I told him that was totally a lie and that I had come to talk to him about on a different subject matter.

I told Polyanichko that Armenians wrote whatever they liked in the newspapers, but nobody could write anything in favor of Azerbaijan. He said: "If you can write, write something and give it to me." Thus my first book came out and it was printed in Stepanakert. The authors of the book were Mr. Polyanichko, I, and some other person. They wrote several articles relating of the atrocities committed by the Armenians. I worked on these articles and added my notes into them. Then Polyanichko brought me to Bilgeh, Baku. I stayed there secretly for a while.

From time to time I heard on the radio how they spoke abuses addressed to Mr. Polyanichko. He did what he could. The Armenians feared him. Armed people from Stapanakert villages were gathered in Stepanakert. But Mr. Polyanichko placed guards everywhere and sent armed people back. It was the Armenians that murdered him. Mr. Polyanichko became the abuse target for Russians, Armenians and Azerbaijanis. The Russians swore at him because he did not allow arms sale.

One day I heard on "Svoboda" radio that the Armenians wrote my name and Viktor Petrovich on the "blacklist". The Armenians called upon all people to kill us wherever we are, because we were bitter enemies of the Armenian nation.

REASONS FOR "THE ARMENIAN MILITARY SUCCESS"

- While living in Stepanakert I traveled several times to Yerevan. Both in Stepanakert and Yerevan I did not run into a young man, who was unemployed. All of them were in the military service. But after I came to Bilgeh I witnessed young unemployed men, who were out of military service. I did feel regret about this.

At that time, Michail Gorbochev issued the decree on "Disarmament of the illegal armed groups". Mutalibov complied with this decree (in the territories under his supervision). The Armenians, however, did not. Mutalibov took away hunter arms, even knives from the Azerbaijani villagers. The Armenians, on the other hand, kept on arming themselves. By the way, let me mention that I was giving lessons to the children of the employees of the department where I was working. All of them owned at least one or two machine-guns, or grenade cup discharge. They were fully armed. I saw how they were training. The Armenians taught their children to shoot when they were in the first grade. In our schools, on the other hand military training classes are not properly conducted. Thus they were getting ready for the war and could gain another six of our regions besides Karabakh.

In the Gas Department one girl was working with me. Her brother studied in the Polytechnic Institute. As his sister said, all of the students were taught parachute jumping and were given the map of Karabakh. Before the start of the war they knew before where they would jump. I was in Yerevan for two days and everyday I saw a bunch of tanks. They paid special attention to the aviation and the development of tank divisions.

I recall how the Armenians were excited about benefiting from the support given by the Armenians living in foreign countries. They compiled a handbook of the addresses, professions, workplaces of Armenians living in different countries. They contacted their compatriots experienced in military science and invited them to Karabakh. In Karabakh there were many who had come for Lebanon and Syria. I would like to mention one point as well that many Armenian living abroad in great numbers were recruited for the French foreign legion army. Also many people from Karabakh got recruited into that legion. It seems the purpose of this was to get high military training and return to Karabakh as soon as the war starts.

The Armenians built a hospital in Karabakh. The people working there were all experienced doctors from the Western countries, in particular from France.

Mr. Arakelov, speaking about the existence of the Armenian secret army named after the marshal Bagramyan said this with optimism: "We also had heroes like Hazi Aslanov, we need to form a tank division after his name. Azerbaijan must not lose again, when going to war it needs to be highly prepared. For that purpose, people need first to strengthen the feeling of military patriotism; the army needs to be developed. I believe Azerbaijan has many young people capable to fight and our country has many opportunities to provide high military technology for its army. "If you want peace, get ready for war!" slogan ought not to be forgotten."

HOW DOES MR. ARAKELOVE LIVE IN BAKU?

The meeting with Mr. Arakelov was made possible with the help of Mrs. Elmira Axundova. Mrs. E. Akhundova had also an exclusive role in publishing of the second book "Notes on Karabakh" by Mr. Arakelov. Besides, she is the editor of that book. Speaking about how it was hard to get the book printed Ms. Akundova told about many doors she knocked to get the book printed: "They wanted to print the book but nobody gave money for that. The people, who themselves had printed silly books by volumes did not provide money for printing a book on the inner character of the Armenians written by an Armenian. Finally Mr. Azer Mustafazade, director of "Azerneshr" publishing house printed the book with the circulation of 1000 at the expense of the publishing house. This book must be translated into English and French and be printed in great numbers. Together with Robert I have written another book against the Armenian terrorism and as a response to Zori Balayan. After completing the book we presented it to the Office of the President. The turned the book in for publishing. Still there is none who would get it printed."

Mr. Arakelov is seriously sick. His big problem related to his financial situation is no pension support despite his 40 years of work record. If it were not for Mrs. E. Akhunodova who supports the family their situation would be far more grievous. "If the Armenians had such a man, they would carry him on their hands. Mrs. E. Akhundova says: "But he, leaving everything returned to Motherland, and began to serve for his Motherland. Most Armenians did not like the Armenian nation and they protested, but they were afraid to raise their voices. It was Mr. Arakelov that first openly spoke against the Armenian fascism. It should be given credit." Mrs. E. Akhundova also pointed out that till one year ago one of the prestigious state institutions had been assisting Mr. Arakelov. But it has been a year since the assistance ceased. Mr. Arakelov needs to be given assistance and helped to stand on his feet. We need to realize the importance of his existence for us. Mr. Arakelov can be our help in international conferences, even in the Council of Europe.*