Armenia and Terrorism
Hatem Cabbarly
All states which were both friends and enemies of USA have published messages that condemned terrorism, offered their condolence to people who were close to death people and all the US society after the terrorist attack that was claimed to be organized and realized by Al Qaeda on September 11,2001.
Vardan Oskanyan, the Minister of Foreign
Affairs of Armenia, offered Armenia’s sympathy to USA on September 12, 2001 and made his explanation as :  “This is not just an attack against USA, but this is an attack against democracy and civilization.”  In addition to Vardan Oskanyan, Robert Kocharyan – the President of Armenia- offered his sympathy to USA under the name of Armenia. An important point was the offered condolence of Armenian Revolutionist Federation (Taşnaksütyun Partisi) to USA. These all were the explanations which were necessity of the diplomacy. Have the President, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia and the Armenian Revolutionist Federation behaved fraternitily in front of USA and all the world society from the perspective of struggle with and condemnation of terrorism?
In order to answer this question, it will be enough to remember the terrorist activities  which were realized against Azerbaijan by Armenia between 1989 and 1994.

Between 1989 and 1994; 29 terrorist activities were realized in Mountainous Karabakh, two civil helicopters and passenger planes were killed by Armenians.
On September 16, 1989; as a result of a bombing attack to a passenger bus that of Bakü-Tblisi expedition, 5 people died and 13 people were wounded.On February, 16, 1990; as a result of a bombing attack to a passenger bus that of Shusa –Bakü expedition, 2 people died and 13 people were wounded.
Monte Melkonyan, a citizen of USA, took place in wilderness attacks and assassinations against Turkish diplomats. He came to Yerevan in 1990 and then settled in Mountainous Karabakh. He was killed in 1993 in a coflict with the Azerbaijan army. Levon Ter Petrosyan, the President of Armenia, was in Melkonyan’s funeral ceremony and Melkonyan was given the appellation of “National Hero” On August 10, 1990; as a result of a bombing attack to a passenger bus that of Tblisi-Agdam expedition 20 people died and 30 people were wounded.
On January 9, 1991; on yhe way of Lachin-Susha as a result of an armed attack, Salatin Esgerova- a news reporter of Azerbaijan Youngs- and three Russian soldiers were killed.
On May 30, 1991; as aresult of a bombing attack to a train that of Moscow- Bakü expedition in Hasavyurt station of Dagestan, 11 people died and 22 people were wounded.
On June 31, 1991; as a result of a bombing attack to a train which was on the direction of Bakü in Temirtav station of Dagestan, 16 people died and 20 people were wounded.
Vazgen Sisliyan who entered the attack organised against the Paris Ambassador of Turkey in 1981 came to Yerevan in 1991 and entered the war that of Mountainous Karabakh. Sisliyan had declared to the newspaper of Russia, “Moskovskie Novostie”, that the power policy was very important in order to take attention of the world society in Armenian issue.
On November 20,1991; the Minister of State of Azerbaijan Ismayılov T. , First Secretary Haciyev Z. , the Minister of Internal Affairs Esedov M. , the attorney general Gayıbov I. , deputies Caferov V., Mehmetov V. , the adviser of office of president Mirzeyev O. , the Minister of State  Namazaliyev G. , the attorney general of Mountainous Karabakh  Plavskiy I., the First Secretary of Intelligence Service of Mountainous Karabakh Ivanov S. , the Minister of Internal Affairs of Mountainous Karabakh General Kovalev V. , the Commander of state of emergency Mountainous Karabakh Jilkin N. , the adviser of the Minister of State Mehmetov R. , Mustafayev A., Hüseynzade A., Şahbazov F. in Azerbaijan State Television Committee , Russian representatives that of General Lukaşov I., colonel Kocharov V. and First Secretary of Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kazakhistan  General Serikoz S. died when the helicopter was killed by Armenian terrorists by rockets sensitive to heat while they were going to Mountainous Karabakh for the peaceful settlement of the dispute.
On January 28, 1992; as a result the killed helicopter that of Agdam-Susha expedition, 41 civil people died.

 

On February 26, 1992; as a result of the attack in Hocalı city 450 people were killed, 400 people were wounded, 80 people disappeared and 800 people were given harm by Armenians.
On February 22, 1993; as a result of a bombing attack to a passenger bus that of Kislovodsk- Bakü expedition in the Gudermas station in Chechenya, 11 people died and 18 people were wounded.
On February 1, 1994; as a result of the a bombing attack to the passenger train that of  Kislovodsk –Bakü expedition in Bakü railway station, 3 people died and 20 people were wounded.
On April 13, 1994; as a result of a bombing attack to the passenger train that of Baku-Moscow expedition in Dagetan Alevi station in Russia, 6 people died and 3 people were wounded.
Journalists who were waiting for the spoker-man to listen his press statement in Armenia, they forgot the reason of their being there and clapped him for a long time. This event was lived in May before the Armenian authorities’  explanation of their offering sympathy to USA. This man who was clapped was not a diplomat, politician, sport or an artist. This man was Varujan Karapetyan who was a member of “ASALA” – Armenian Secret Army- and who organised the bombing attack in Orly airport in France in 1983.
This organization-ASALA- was a terrorist one which was based on Armenian Revolutionist Federation and organised terrorist attacks on Turkish diplomats in European countries beginning from 1980s. As a result of Karapetyan’s bombing attack on Orly airport in 1983, 8 people died. Karapetyan who was an active member of  the “ASALA” was caught by the French police and he was given the punishment of life sentence by the French Court on March 3,1985.
In order to put Karapetyan out of French prison, a sign campaign was started and nearly one million sign was collected under the leadership of Echmiadzin Church and of course with the assists of the Armenian government.
As a result of serious “developments” in French judicial system beginning from 1985 and the sign campaign, French Court of Appeal forgave Karapetyan on April 23,2001 conditionally that he had to leave the country immediately. It was a surprising point that he was let out of prison a day before April 24 which has been known as the remembrance day of the so-called genocide. It was also determined that Karapetyan would be given the right of asylum by the Armenian government and in addition to this a house and a job would be supplied to him by the mayor of Yerevan.
In addition to that the Prime Minister of Armenia, Adranik Margaryan, was visited by Varujan Karapetyan; Margaryan explained his pleasure with Karapetyan’s heroic struggle for Armenia and he demanded Karapetyan to be looked after from the Minister of Health.

 

 

The Kocharian government applied the Frenvh government and he demanded Karapetyan to be given back to Armenia in a period when the Kocharian government let the re-activities of Armenian Revolutionist Federation in 1998which was banned by the Armenian Attorney General in 1996 because of taking place in terrorist activities. Armenian Revolutionist Federation whose activities were let in 1991 is not just a political party; it has been a power which has taken place in many terrorist activities, has made its game rules to be accepted and has governed Armenia behind the scenes. Terrorism has been the official ideology of Armenia. Armenia has been seriously developing her relations with Syria, Lebanon, Iran and PKK terrorist organisation. USA who declared that she would be against any country who would not support her in her struggle with terrorism, could not decide whether Armenia was against her or net.

 

Has there been any pressure of Armenian diaspora on US government about US’ belief on cooperation with Armenia against terrorism? Have one million votes in USA on the Senate and President elections been more important than the national security  and struggle against terrorism of USA? Has there been any special meaning of Armenia’s being a Christian state? Has Armenia been the saucy child of USA in South Caucasia although Armenia has close economic, political and military cooperation with Russia? Has USA rewarded Armenia with 1,200 million dollars since 1991 because of her developing  economic and political cooperation with states suggesting terrorism?

 

Is USA going to protest Armenia’s suggesting terrorism and her developing cooperation with other states suggesting terrorism? Is she going to demand the cansellation of the natural gas treaty between Armenia and Iran? ( It is a fact that USA asked Turkey to cancel her natural gas treaty with Iran) Is USA going to apply the same pressure on Armenia concerning the end of the propaganda and international efforts about  affirmation of the so-called genocide, withdrawal of the demands of compensation and land; while she applies pressure on Turkey in order to open the Turkish-Armenian border and stop her economic blockade of Armenia?

 

Is USA going to attempt to give an end to Armenian diasporas’ international efforts to affirm the genocide of Armenians both in their own provinces and Europe? Al Qaeda terrorists entered USA with Armenian passports, then is USA going to impose an economic blockade against Armenia as she has been imposing against Iran, Iraq and Syria? Is USA going to support the legitimate struggle of Azerbaijan against Armenia about the occupied Azerbaijan lands by Armenian army, or at least is she going to be impartial? Is USA going to force Armenia who threats the stability and security of South Caucasia for peace from the perspective of the Caspian Basin energy sources and security of pipelines? Is USA going to put Armenia to the list of “vagabond states” because of her aids to the nuclear weapon production activities of Iran? Is USA going to impose pressure Armenia which has been the military base of Russia in South Caucasia  in order to put Russian soldiers out of Armenia? Is USA going to warn Armenia because of her restrictions on human rights, liberty of press that those are the basic principles of democracy?

 

USA accepted the “907” numbered additional item which included the prohibition of US aid to Azerbaijan’s economic blockade on Armenia while she accepted the “Freedom Support Act” in order to help ex-Soviet republics. If USA plays the role of the protector of democracy and human rights, “907” numbered additional item has to be imposed on Armenia, not on Azerbaijan. It is very shameful for USA not to know or reluctance to know which country is in the position of aggression and which one is in defence.

 

If it is tried to find an answer to those questions from today’s perspective, it can be said that USA does not impose any pressure on Armenia; because first of all according to USA, Armenia is a small Christian state and surrounded by Muslim states except Georgia. Armenia’s claims on the so-called genocide , compensation and land does not disturb USA any more.

 

USA has been using the Armenian argument against Turkey for more than twenty years when Armenian diaspora have put the issue of the so-called genocide into the agenda of Congress and/or attempted to pronounce “Armenian Genocide” before April 24 every year. Also this opportunity has been presented to USA in a golden tray. In every four months of years, a great liveliness has been noticed in the US policy of Turkey. Turkey who has intensified her lobby both in Congress and Senate has been spending millions of dollars to some groups. For this reason, full acception and rejection of the so-called Armenian genocide has not been suitable for those groups who perceive this issue as an economic income. They know that Turkey’s expenditures on lobby activities are going to decrease when Senate accepts “Armenian Genocide”. In addition to this they don’t want the issue to fall from the agenda.

 

Turkey and Azerbaijan have always been forced to defence themselves although they have had the capability of proving the bloody papers that Armenia has done for more than fifteen years. Turkey and Azerbaijan have to leave this position of defencing themselves and be more active in explaining the reality of Armenian terrorism to all world society. Otherwise, it will be impossible to leave the role of defeat