From: dbd@urartu.sdpa.org (David Davidian)
Subject: To Blame the Victim -- Armenians in Azerbaijan, Part 3
Summary: 1964 letter from Karabakh Armenians to Khutshchev 
Organization: S.D.P.A. Center for Regional Studies
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1992 02:21:12 GMT

In article <1992Dec13.060610.16054@mail.cornell.edu> Mark Lipsits <ml12@cornell
.edu wrote:

[ML] You are willing to argue that people who lived in Karabach weren't "happy
[ML] enough".  I am sure they are much happier now, in the middle of war!

O' foolish one, war is never a preferred course of action, however many times
history has demonstrated the inevitability of such conflict resolution.

Since you are an apologist for Azeri oppression of Karabakh Armenians, perhaps
you can explain away the following letter to Soviet leaders many years before
the current conflict in the Caucasus, since you blame today's leadership in 
Armenia for the situation of Armenians in Azerbaijan! Yes, explain this 1964
petition from the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabagh to Khurshchev! Please note
Mr. Lipsits, in 1964, the current president of Armenia was still in school!


May 27, 1964

	Petition from the Armenians of Mountainous Karabagh to Prime Minister 
	Nikita Khrushchev.

To the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union,
Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party,
Comrade Khrushchev,

We, the Kolkhozniks, workers and toilers of the Autonomous Region of 
Mountainous Karabagh, and the Armenian population of the regions of Shamkhor, 
Khanlar, Dashkesan and Shaumian of Azerbaijan SSR, having reached a point of 
desperation as a result of the crushing burden of our living conditions, 
decided to address ourselves to you to enlist your help and protection.

From time immemorial, our territory, circumscribed by the rivers of Kur, Araks 
and Lake Sevan, which historically is known under the name of "Artzakh," has 
always been an inseparable part of Armenia. As a result of the Turko-Mongol 
incursions, the Armenians were forced out of the plains and hillsides, their 
villages and towns were destroyed or were reduced to pastures. The Armenians 
succeeded in fortifying themselves and enjoying protection only in the 
semi-mountainous and mountainous regions of Karabagh.

After the annexation to Russia, the danger which imperiled the physical 
existence of the Armenians of Karabagh was removed, even though they were 
still suffering under the yoke of the Tzarist regime.

To protect themselves from the consequences of the growing revolutionary 
movement, the Tzarist authorities in the period of 1903-1905 artificially 
instigated hostilities and sanguinary massacres between the Armenians and the 
Azerbaijanis.

During the first imperialist [World] war, as in the periods prior to and after 
the onset of the national republics, the Mussavat regime of Azerbaijan 
isolated the Armenian regions of Karabagh from the outside world and proceeded 
to annihilate the Armenians whenever and however it could. With an optimum 
tightening of stamina, the Armenians of Karabagh defied the Mussavat 
government by defending their independence and ethnic authenticity through 
heroic efforts. This is the pattern of the endless chain of the misfortunes 
and sufferings of the Armenians of Karabagh; and it was only in April, 1920,
that the Soviet regime put an end to it.

We were not mistaken in our belief that the Leninist policy of nationalities 
would triumph, and that Armenian-populated Karabagh would be incorporated into 
Soviet Armenia. Indeed, after the advent of the Soviet regime in Armenia, in a 
declaration, the Soviet government of Azerbaijan expressed its readiness to 
cede Karabagh and Nakhichevan to Armenia. The declaration was signed and made 
public by N. Narimanov in the celebrated session of the Baku Soviet on 
December 1, 1920. 

However, this judicious and entirely fraternal decision was not carried out. 
In March, 1921, as a result of a treaty signed with Turkey, Nakhichevan was 
incorporated into the territorial complex of Azerbaijan SSR. In 1923, within 
the territorial borders of Azerbaijan, Mountainous Karabagh was given 
autonomy, and the regions of Shamkhor, Khanlar, Dashkesan and Shaumian, where 
the Armenian population is predominant (approximately 90 per cent), were 
directly incorporated into the Azerbaijan SSR. Thus, the Armenians of Karabagh 
were cut off from the Armenian SSR and Mountainous Karabagh Autonomous 
Republic failed to include all Armenian regions. The rights of the autonomous 
region were gradually curtailed and presently are almost entirely abrogated.
The Armenian population of the Azerbaijani SSR has been subjected to 
chauvinistic policies creating extremely unfavorable conditions of life. At 
the inception of the autonomy, certain positive steps were undertaken for the 
development of industry and agriculture in the region. Subsequently, however, 
every enterprise has been thwarted, and established institutions have either 
been inhibited from functioning or have been transferred to regions inhabited 
by Azerbaijanis. On the other hand, demands were imposed upon our region which 
were exacting and beyond the limits of our capacity. They resulted in such 
desperate acts as our being forced to extricate wool from our beds, bedcovers 
and pillows in order to meet the quotas imposed upon us.

These underhanded measures, which were intended to bring about a deterioration 
in the economy of the Armenian population and eventually to force the latter's 
exodus from the region, were supplemented by acts of sabotage and 
counter-revolutionary operations.

In spite of the fact that large expanses of irrigated soil were at hand in 
some regions of the Azerbaijani SSR, people's enemy Bagirov was repopulating 
the Armenian villages of Martuni and Mars with Azerbaijanis. As a consequence, 
clashes between the two nationalities in these villages became imminent. 
Apparently, the followers of people's enemy Bagirov have not forgotten his 
instructions. Their objective was not only the termination of the autonomy of 
the region, but also the expulsion of the Armenian population of Karabagh. To 
this end, they relentlessly and systematically trampled upon the interests of 
the Armenian population, derided the workers and subjected the people in
general to inexcusably hostile treatment.

Let us cite some examples:

1) The bread factory of Stepanakert has been placed under the jurisdiction of 
Aghdam -- an Azerbaijani regional center located at a distance of 40 km. In 
other words, it has been proposed that the planning of the production of flour 
and the regulation of the quality of bread, and altogether the management of 
the production of bread for Stepanakert all be controlled in distant Aghdam.

2) The health department of Mars has likewise been subjected to Aghdam, where
appointments to and removals from posts of the department for workers are 
initiated; medical supplies and other material needs of the hospitals and 
other institutions are supposed to be secured, but in fact are not provided. 
The same applies to pharmacies and pharmacists.

3) The management of construction works is under the jurisdiction of 
Minkechaour, which is located 120 km away from Stepanakert. The immediate 
result of this arrangement was the removal of the best machines to Minkechaour 
and their replacement by useless and antiquated implements and technical 
systems. The top laborers of one particular concern were flatly dismissed and 
were replaced by Azerbaijanis.

4) The combine of Mars which produces silk and employs 3,000 workers (the only
industrial concern of Mars) has been placed under the administrative 
jurisdiction of a comparable but much smaller enterprise in Nuchi, which is 
120 km away from Stepanakert. The dye factory has been transported to Nuchi, 
as a result of which the wage fund has been reduced and the wages of the 
workers of Stepanakert have been lowered. The silk spinning factories of 
Khntzorestan, Seyidshen, Gheshlach and other villages have been closed.

5) The sojuzpetchat department of Mars (in charge of distribution of 
newspapers and other printed material) has been transferred to Aghdam (since 
May 1962). Now Aghdam is to plan what we are to read. As to the workers of 
Stepanakert sojuzpetchat, they remain jobless.

6) The cement factory in Stepanakert has been placed under the jurisdiction 
of the region of Barda (60 km distance), which has absolutely no connection 
with the factory.

7) The Tartarkes project has been made part of the post-war five year plan, 
but until today has not been realized. Tartarkes is meant to solve the 
problems of electrical energy and irrigation of the semi-mountainous and 
mountainous regions. The construction of Tartarkes has been discontinued 
because of the construction of Minkechaour, which can not solve the problems 
peculiar to Tartarkes.

8) A number of projects provided in the recent five year plans for Mars have 
not been fulfilled. Still, nothing is being done, even though those projects 
have been made an integral part of the seven year plan, e.g., the cake 
combine, the wine factory of the Gurbadkino, etc.

9 The auto repair plant, provided in the seven year plan for Stepanakert 
[Karabagh], has been erected in Kirovabad [Azerbaijan] instead, in spite of 
the problems this presents in terms of available personnel and other 
prerequisites.

10) In forty years, not one kilometer of new road has been constructed between 
villages and the regional center; nor have existing roads been repaired.

11) No possibilities have been explored for developing the agriculture of the 
region. The corn, potato and vineyard acreages have not been expanded. There 
is no increment in the rate of the growth of produce. Cattle breeding is in 
decline; the authorities are oblivious to the problem of water resources. 
Reservoirs have been erected on the banks of a number of rivers of mountainous 
Karabagh, but only Azerbaijani villages are benefiting from these waters. The 
kolkhozniks of Karabagh have not been given the right to utilize the waters of 
their own rivers. Since ancient times Mountainous Karabagh has been famous
for its mulberry farms which often were cultivated despite great difficulty on 
the rocky slopes of the highlands. These farms were utilized to produce 
spirits and doshab, and were also used for construction material and fuel. 
Disregarding the protests of the population, with a stroke of the pen they 
forbade the extracting of spirit and ordered the cultivation of mulberries for 
the sole purpose of feeding the silkworms. As a result, large numbers of
mulberry trees were destroyed, and the rocky slopes became barren and useless 
for agriculture. Besides, the mulberry wood is known to have precious 
qualities for industrial use.

Mars has not been carefully studied in terms of its soil and climatic 
conditions; no narrowly specialized subregions were created for the purpose of 
enhancing productivity.

The experimental station of the region of Martushaven has been placed under 
the jurisdiction of Baku. One is led to believe that the management in Mars is 
not interested in investigating its agricultural problems and in resolving 
other problems of local significance.

12) Culture and education are in decline. The low level of work in the field 
of education is particularly evident in the results of tests taken by our 
students in order to gain entrance to the higher educational institutions of 
Armenian SSR. The two-year Pedagogical Institute and the Conservatory of 
Stepanakert is a notable cultural achievement, but it has been instituted at 
the cost of relinquishing the Armenian Theater in Baku -- in spite of the fact 
that there is a large contingent of Armenians in Baku.

We could go on with the description of the illegal and harmful measures and 
operations inflicted upon the Autonomous Region and its Armenian population. 
The cursorily described cases above fully reveal the abnormal and critical 
status of the population of the Region. It is a status which mocks the idea of 
autonomy, the interests of the Armenian population, the rights of Soviet 
citizens, and the Leninist policy of nationalities.

The aims pursued [by the Azerbaijani government] on various occasions and for 
many years are now coming close to fruition. They consist of the propensity to 
subordinate the institutions and enterprises of Mountainous Karabagh to 
corresponding enterprises which are located at a distance of 40-60 km and are 
integral parts of Azerbaijani regions (Aghdam, Barda, Minkechaour, Kirovabad, 
Nuchi, etc.); of transferring the institutions and enterprises of the region 
to the regions of Azerbaijan SSR; of blocking the construction of the 
industrial concerns and of all other necessary enterprises provided in the 
plans for the region. As a result of all these, the managerial-administrative 
functions of the region have all but disintegrated.

These unilaterally harmful measures have deprived the Armenian population of 
the region of its livelihood and wellbeing and forced it to abandon its own 
ancestral homeland.

This is the reason why in the last twenty-five years there is a total lack of 
increase in the growth rate of the Armenian population of Mountainous 
Karabagh. It should be noted that the above-mentioned decline has made it 
possible to populate Karabagh with Azerbaijanis.

It can definitely be stated that a chauvinistic, pan-Turk policy is being 
pursued which is at once inconceivable and inimical to the principles of 
Soviet rule, but which evidently is acceptable to the authorities of the 
Azerbaijani Republic.

This policy has had more abominable applications for the Armenian regions of
Shamkhor, Shaumian and Khanlar, which are outside the Autonomous Region of
Karabagh.

The situation is unbearable there. Discrimination is everywhere and in 
everything. Our plight at present is more grave than during the conquest 
period of 1919-1920 Soviet friendship and fraternity. We have previously also 
protested that there is in fact no Autonomous region. We tried to explain the 
reasons of grievances of the masses, but were subjected to impermissible 
methods of treatment. For instance, Bagirov had convened a session of the 
Party Aktiv in Stepanakert in which he declared;

"Whoever is opposed to the annexation of Karabagh to Azerbaidjan SSR is 
invited to leave the meeting."

Under the circumstances, it is obvious what fate might befall any person 
disposed to leave the meeting. Another incident occurred just recently. To 
obtain explanations [concerning our situation], only the [central] 
administrators of the region were approached; this was done, of all places, 
in Baku. (Comrade Suchitdinov).

The policy of discrimination and oppression is engendering justifiable hatred 
against the source of that policy, namely, the Azerbaijani Republic and the 
leadership of the Autonomous Region. The regrettable fact is that undesirable 
relationships between the nationalities are developing in consequence.

In these days when we are building communism, we can not live under such
circumstances. It seemed to us that the implementation of such a brutal policy
of national chauvinism was incredible and impossible.

But there is no doubt about it. The steps undertaken since early 1962 have 
fully convinced us.

We request a prompt decision so as to reincorporate Mountainous Karabagh and 
all adjacent Armenian regions into the Armenian SSR, or to make them part of 
RSFSR.

We request the treatment of the Armenians in Karabagh to be attuned only to 
Lenin's policy of nationalities.


-- 
David Davidian dbd@urartu.sdpa.org "It has been ever thus in all things, son, 
SDPA Center for Regional Studies    Whatever we thrash we give to the wind, 
P.O. Box 382761                     We too have been blown by the world's wind
Cambridge, MA 02238                 The chaff is gone but the grain remains."