Speech
of Heydar Aliyev at the meeting in the Permanent Representation of the
Azerbaijan Republic in Moscow, on January 21,1990 dedicated to the tragic
events of
January 20, 1990
Dear
Comrades, Ladies and gentlemen, as you know I was the leader of the Party
organization of Azerbaijan for many years. I was elected a member of the
CPSU Central Committee and acted as the first Deputy Chairman of the USSR
of Ministers. It is over two years since I retired, I had a serious heart
attack that caused my retirement. It is the first time since December,
1982 when I left Azerbaijan that I have come to the Permanent Representation
of the Azerbaijan Republic in Moscow and the tragedy in Azerbaijan made
me come here. I learned about it in the morning and could not remain indifferent
to what had happened in Azerbaijan. First of all I come here, to the Representation,
that is just a small island of Azerbaijan in Moscow, to express my condolences
to the Azerbaijan people in connection with the tragic event entailing
horrible consequences, deaths of my compatriots. Secondly, I would like
to express my attitude as regards to this matter. I am requesting the
Permanent Representative of Azerbaijan in Moscow -Zokhrab Ibrahimov -
to pass my words of deep sorrow and my sincere condolences to the people
of Azerbaijan. Unfortunately it is the least I can do currently.
Referring
to the events happened in Azerbaijan I consider them to be illegal, hostile
to democracy, totally contradicting the principles of humanism and the
establishment of the legitimate state. There are certain reasons why this
situation developed in Azerbaijan. I would not like to go into details,
it would take too much time. The notorious ethnic conflict between Azerbaijan
and Armenia has been going on for two years already. This conflict has
arisen in connection with the conflict in Nagorny Karabakh and around
it. Two years is quite a long time for the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia,
the top party and political leaders of the country to settle this matter,
to stop to the intestine conflicts, ethnic conflicts and to allow all
people to live a free life irrespective of their nationality in our common
Federate Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
However,
to my opinion necessary measures in this respect have not been taken.
If
necessary actions had been initiated at the beginning of the troubles
in Upper Karabakh we would not now observe the escalation of the tension
and losses on both sides during the past two years and that military assault
undertaken over the night from 19 to 20 January 1990 that brought heavy
losses.It is, first of all, the fault of the former first secretary of
Central Committee of Azerbaijan Communist Party Abdurakhman Vezirov.
Being
the leader of the Republic he made practically nothing to stabilize the
situation in Azerbaijan. On the contrary, by his attitude and manner of
work, political maneuvers, he opposed himself to people, cold not inspire
trust, created a gap between himself and people. People were indignant.
Demands
were made at the meetings held for the past few months in Baku and other
towns and regions of the Republic for the party leaders of Azerbaijan
to resign, especially and primarily concerning Vezirov. It seems strange
that this problem had not been solved. Only yesterday, after military
troop were brought into the city and massacre carried out Vezirov ran
away from Azerbaijan. It has been a serious mistake. The fatal mistake
was to appoint this gentleman inappropriate for the position the first
secretary of Central Committee of Azerbaijan Communist Party.
I
would like to speak in detail about that tragic event that happened over
the night of 20th of January and is still going on. I think that there
were possibilities reserves for the political arrangement of the situation
in Azerbaijan. The leaders of Azerbaijan and top political leaders of
the country have not used all reserves. The incident on the border could
have been prevented. People expressed their demands in connection with
frontier line three months ago. But nobody wished to meet them, find out
what the way out.
I
would like to say again: there still were possibilities to calm people
then. If 2-3 months ago the problem of the party leader in Azerbaijan
would be settled, then may be would not have been a necessity to bring
military troops into the city. I still think that political regulation
was possible but the possibilities were not used and as a result regular
troops of the Soviet Army and Ministry of Defense were brought to Baku
over the night of the 20-th of January. Tragic consequences of this action
are well known. I regard this decision as political mistake. They were
not aware of the actual situation in the Republic, of the peculiarities
of the Azerbaijan people psychology, were not in contact with different
circles of the society and thus could not foresee the consequences.
Such
consequences should have been foreseen and preventive measures should
have been taken. By the nay, there has been information that among the
victims there were many soldiers. Why should Russian fellows sent by the
wrong decision of the top party leaders have suppressed the so-called
revolt in Azerbaijan ? Should so many troops have been brought to Azerbaijan?
I am well informed how many troops had been stationed in Azerbaijan. There
have been dislocated quite many troops; the Fourth Army, the Caspian Military
Navy, landing forces, air-defense troops, troops of the Ministry of Defense.
Was there any real need to bring additional troops here? If necessary,
the troops already existed here could have been used. The leaders of Azerbaijan
who took such a decision, in the first place A.Vezirov, ran away from
Azerbaijan. They should bear responsibility. Those who misinformed the
country’s top political leaders should also bear responsibility. I think
that top political leaders of the country did not have access to the objective
information in good time. The country leaders were misled and as a result
such decision was taken.
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