|
Spring 1998 (6.1) Media Watch by Adil Baguirov
These days, many articles are being written about the complexity of the region and the complications of getting oil to international markets, especially Western markets. With increased coverage comes misinformation that gets repeated over and over. In this new column, "Media Watch," Adil Baguirov calls attention to some of the most flagrant errors. Myth #1: The Armenian-Azerbaijani
war over Karabakh started in the city of Sumgayit (Azerbaijan). However, the truth is quite different. The Nagorno-Karabakh war is really about the aggression of Armenia with one intention: acquisition of more territory. The first casualties were really two Azerbaijani youths, Bakhtiyar Uliyev, 16, and Ali Hajiyev, 23, shot dead on February 24, 1988 (i.e., before Sumgayit). But even prior to these murders, and virtually unreported in the media, was the expulsion of thousands of Azerbaijanis from Armenia, particularly from the Megri and Kafan districts. The combination of both of these situations is what really triggered the incidents in which a total of 32 people died, 6 of them Azerbaijani and 26 Armenian, according to the official investigation reports. However, even lesser known is the fact that several Armenian nationals actively participated in inciting the mob as did the KGB (who later confiscated all relevant court materials and transferred several of the instigators out of the republic). While the provocation and incrimination of Azerbaijan and its people was largely successful by those who masterminded the plot, it was not complete since Azerbaijani people refused to participate in the atrocities and actually were involved in saving the lives of many of their Armenian neighbors. Otherwise, the casualties would, indeed, have been much higher as Sumgayit has a population of 300,000. Myth #2: Stalin gave
Karabakh to Azerbaijan. The Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO) inside Azerbaijan was created on July 1923 after years of intense debates and opposition from the Azerbaijani people. An oblast, the Russian term for "province," was purely an administrative division, totally subordinate in every aspect to the union republic, Azerbaijan SSR. Carving out enclaves was deliberately practiced in various Soviet republics to exacerbate ethnic tensions. It served the Soviets well by distracting the republics from seeking their own independence because they always had to be occupied with ethnic tensions inside their own borders. Myth #3: Stalin gave
Nakhchivan to Azerbaijan. Zangazur was continuously "cleansed" of its indigenous residents. In 1897, its Azerbaijani population was 51.7%, but by 1926, it had declined to 6.4%. during the same period, the ratio of Armenians increased from 46.1% to 87%! Tens of thousands of Azerbaijanis had to flee for their lives at that time in much the same way as they have had to flee from Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding districts in the 1990s. Myth #4. Nagorno-Karabakh
is an independent Republic. In truth, this region has been seized by separatists who are militarily occupying lawful Azerbaijani territory. The international community, including the United Nations, has repeatedly condemned the Armenian military occupation of Azerbaijan's territory and demanded immediate and complete "withdrawal of all occupying forces" since 1993. In the guise of seeking independence from Azerbaijan, Armenians are really attempting to attach Karabakh to Armenia, by whatever means necessary. In March 1998, hard-liner Robert Kocharyan, a resident of this disputed area and technically an Azerbaijani citizen, was even elected as President of Armenia in clear violation of international law. A comparable analogy would be if the state of Colorado, which does not even share a border with Mexico, suddenly declared independence from the United States and went to war to attach themselves to Mexico, and in the process a Coloradan became the President of Mexico. Back in December 1989, the parliament of the Armenian SSR voted to annex the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh to their own republic. This legislature is still on the books and has not been rescinded even after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The declaration was immediately proclaimed illegal by both Azerbaijan SSR and USSR Supreme Soviet (Parliament), the supreme legislative authority at that time. Legally, an autonomous oblast (province) could not secede, especially without approval of both the USSR and Azerbaijan Parliament. It is also important to note that the Supreme Soviet of Azerbaijan legally abolished the status of NKAO (Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast) on November 1991. Some might dismiss these points as trivial. Others might excuse them as simple negligence on the part of the journalists. Nevertheless, as long as there is preferential treatment of one side in the international mass media over the other, conflicts will persist, and bitter feelings will be perpetuated. Adil Baguirov is deeply involved
with disseminating news about Azerbaijan via Habarlar-L (an Internet
list service, meaning "news" in Azeri). He currently
studies at the University of Southern California. |
In 1993, when we
first started publishing this magazine, Azerbaijan was rarely
in the news except in the context of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Even then, it was always depicted as the aggressor despite the
fact that the entire war was being fought on its own territory.
Later, especially after the first major international oil contract
was signed in 1994, more articles began to appear in the context
of Azerbaijan's vast energy resources.