20 years later, Baku still concerned over Shushi “surrender”

PanARMENIAN.Net - Athens-based Hayastan newspaper published an article entitled “Politicians and state security” recently, touching upon Azerbaijan’s constant attempts to justify Armenian army’s victory in Nagorno Karabakh war by “Russia’s support” or “internal treason”.

These attempts are no longer surprising, the paper says.

However, Azerbaijan’s former defense minister Rahim Gaziev comments to obyektiv.tv on this are worth mentioning.

During Heydar Aliyev’s presidency, Gaziev was charged with “high treason for surrendering” Shoushi.

In his comments, ex-minister assumed only moral responsibility for Shushi surrender, shifting the major blame onto Elbrus Orujev, then commandant of Shushi.

According to Gaziev, Shushi then had enough armament and ammunition, military equipment and human force to protect the town.

“How come that all residents left at once?” ex-minister wonders reminding that Azerbaijan faced power fight at that time, and those responsible for the town defense were not in Baku but in Nakhijevan with Heydar Aliyev. This is the reason Orujev hit high in his further career, Gaziev said.

This was perhaps another attempt to depreciate Shushi liberation operation; still, “the same operation results in one being charged with high treason, and another one getting general’s rank upon Aliyev’s comeback.”

So, the involvement of the military into domestic political confrontation hits hard the national security, if not ruins the whole system at all, the article concludes.