In Spite of Everything Shushi is Flourishing

• 03.28.2015, 22:25
• Greta Avetisyan
•  "Insight" Analytical Center ,  World,  NKR,  Analytics,  Info

March 1920… A month, which will be remembered in the history of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh as a month of ruthless massacres of Armenian population in one of the flourishing cities of Karabakh – Shushi.  In 1920, March 22-26 the Caucasian Tatars (the current Azerbaijanis) and the Ottoman Turkey initiated anti-Armenian pogroms, killing and deporting more than 30,000 Armenians and almost completely destroying Shushi – one of the major economic and cultural centers of Transcaucasia.

The massacres were planned beforehand and implemented very carefully. In 1919, the newly established state – Azerbaijan, proclaimed about the annexation of Nagorno-Karabakh and appointed Khosrov bek Sultanov as governor-general of Karabakh. In response to this, on February 19, 1919 the Armenian National Council of Karabakh met in Shushi and rejected all pretenses of Azerbaijan. The Council again met on April 23 insisting on its right of self-determination and rejecting Azerbaijan’s all claims. On June 4-5, 1919, armed clashes occurred in Shushi between Armenians and Caucasian Tatars, but in order to prevent military conflict, Karabakh and Azerbaijan, signed a preliminary agreement by which they agreed to discuss the problem of the status of the region at Paris Peace Conference. However, the agreement was violated by Azerbaijan. On the evening of March 22 Caucasian Tatars and military units of Ottoman Turkey, that were supporting Azerbaijan, entered Shushi and ruthlessly killed defenseless women, children and elderly. Houses, cultural institutions, schools, even churches were either crushed or set into fire…

According to 1912 census,  42,400 people were living in Shushi of which 61.2% were Armenians, in 1916 Armenians in Shushi comprised 53% of the population, but a year after the Shushi massacres only about 300 Armenians were left in the city.

This massacre was the continuation of anti-Armenian policy of Turkey. Five years before the Shushi massacres, the Ottoman Turkey carried out genocide against Armenians – as a result 1.5 million Armenians were killed. The indifference of the international community and its inaction "encouraged" Caucasian Tatars to continue anti-Armenian policy of their brothers with their direct participation. March 1920 – Shushi massacres, February 1988 – Sumgait massacres… The international community has not given adequate reaction to all these, the perpetrators have not been punished yet, the justice is not restored…

Nevertheless, we - Armenians live, we are alive and continue creating, giving birth to talented Armenian girls and boys, who become known to all over the world, who make difference, whose works are being admired. We have a strong Diaspora, we have developing and flourishing Republic of Armenia and we have democratic, strong and prospering Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh.

In 2015 95 years passed from Shushi massacres. On this occasion the fractions of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic National Assembly issued a statement, saying that "this greatest crime was planned and implemented to destroy the administrative, economic, political and cultural center of Artsakh, to change the ethnic composition of the ancient Armenian city, to deprive the Artsakh Armenians of the right of self-determination" and called on Azerbaijan "to face its past, stop hatred towards Armenians and start establishing relations with Artsakh based on equal rights for the sake of regional peace and stability."

This call of NKR National Assembly fractions does not seem to be realized in the nearest future taking into consideration the current Azerbaijani anti-Armenian policy, the war rhetoric of its authorities, their systematic violation of ceasefire and thousands of internal problems… However, we have struggled and will continue struggling to restore justice and hold perpetrators accountable for their actions.