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Qabil Ashirov

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The more mutual accusations there are between Pashinyan and the former Garabagh clan, which played a significant role in the occupation of Azerbaijan's Garabagh, and their kingmaker, Levon Ter-Petrosyan, the more new crimes are revealed regarding the atrocities committed in Garabagh during the 1990s.

As is known, the invasion of Garabagh and seven adjacent rayons, along with war crimes such as looting civilians and mass killings like Khojaly, Baganis Ayrim, generally have been put down to only the Garabagh clan which contradicts the nature of the matter. The Garabagh clan and its leaders, Robert Kocharyan and Serzh Sargsyan, were nothing more than provincial figures who spent most of their lives in rural areas. The claim that these two unseasoned guys orchestrated a scheme that would affect the foreign policies of all neighboring countries and plunge the region into such chaos that it would take years to resolve is implausible. It is well known that the first Armenian president Levon Ter-Petrosyan parachuted the said inexperienced provincial figures into important positions, which eventually paved the way to overthrow Petrosyan himself. On the other hand, some sources purport that even Levon Ter-Petrosyan was a pawn in this process. Armenian lobby groups and underground organizations such as ASALA and Dashnaktsutyun, operated outside the USSR, organized the process, while simultaneously arming Garabagh residents of Armenian origin starting in the 1960s and 1970s.

However, all of the aforementioned have remained just claims until last week. Several days ago, footage revealing the nasty character of Levon Ter-Petrosyan, who had been hidden under the shadow of the clan until then, was circulated on the internet. In the footage which many believe that Pashinyan’s government deliberately circulated, giving a speech before an unknown audience (probably members of Armenian organizations operating outside the country), Levon briefs on the process and sheds light on several issues. To tell the truth, his speech style, tone, and wordings put even the most prominent fascist war criminals in second place.

Levon speaks highly of ethnic cleansing, referring to it as 'purging the country,' in other words, purging Armenia of ethnic minorities, more specifically Azerbaijanis. He calls ethnic minorities a threat against Armenian statehood. On a side note, he emphasizes Azerbaijanis when he speaks about ethnic minorities and unfortunately, people commenting on his speech repeat it as well. However, it should be underlined that Armenian fascism is not limited only to Azerbaijanis and other Turkic people. Armenia expelled thousands of Muslim Kurds together with Azerbaijanis. Even Russia could not stay in Armenia in the 1990s and every four citizens out of five with Russian origin were obliged to leave the country. Thus, once a poly-ethnic country turned into a mono-ethnic one. Literally, Armenian fascism, like all fascist ideologies, does not tolerate any other ethnicity except its own.

He also extolled bringing 500,000 then-Azerbaijani citizens of Armenian origin to Armenia. He said that he held his breath about the contribution of Armenians coming from Baku to increase the number of population in the country. It is worth noting that his gaffes or acknowledgment gives an insight into the Sumgayit pogrom which caused fear among Armenians living in Soviet Azerbaijan and led them fleeing from Azerbaijan. It provides a good response to the following questions: 'Why should Azerbaijan have done such a thing? What were Azerbaijan's benefits from it?’ On the other hand, Levon Ter-Petrosyan explained how valuable the Sumgayit pogrom was and how Armenia benefitted it. It also gives us a clue as to why Armenian officials released Eduard Grigorian, a participant in the pogrom, in Yerevan.

In addition, thanks to Levon Ter-Petrosyan, whole the world found out the reason why the Garabagh conflict had not been resolved over 30 years. In the footage, he declares that Armenia succeeded in taking the Status of Garabagh out of the Agenda. As for the resolution of the conflict, he says that Armenia is not in a hurry. The negotiation process can be extended as much as possible, as the Azerbaijani proverb goes ‘during this time either donkey will die or shah (the owner of donkey)’.

The end of the footage is also very interesting. For over 30 years, the Armenian side has been blowing smoke about the invasion of Aghdam, which was the initiative of the Garabagh clan. Even Robert Kocheryan noted in his book that they invaded Agdam without the concession of Yerevan. Even during the invasion, Levon phoned him and demanded to withdraw from Aghdam, and Robert deceived him saying that something happened in Aghdam and they didn`t know what it was. However, the footage ends with Levon’s declaration of the Aghdam invasion which the audience hailed and welcomed with applauds.

This revelation not only exposes the true orchestrators behind the conflict but also highlights the deep-rooted issues within the Armenian political landscape. It underscores the need for a thorough investigation and accountability for the crimes committed, ensuring that justice is served for the victims and their families. The international community must take note of these developments and support efforts to bring about lasting peace and reconciliation in the region.