Khodjalu cornerstone of Azerbaijani misinformation policy

PanARMENIAN.Net - Azerbaijan has launched a new round of its traditional anti-Armenian campaign over the 1992 events in Khodjalu, says a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic.



The statement goes on:



"The official Azerbaijani propaganda machine does not disdain to use any methods and means to display the Armenian side as a party responsible for the tragedy and to inject another portion of poison of Armenian phobia into the public both in Azerbaijan and abroad. Moreover, Baku goes on circulating the already unmasked frauds.



Thus, next year the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic drew the public's attention to a forged photograph exposed in a number of Azerbaijani websites, including the website of Heydar Aliyev Foundation, which is very respectable in Azerbaijan (www.azerbaijan.az). It has been mentioned, that the propaganda machine of the neighboring republic tries to use the fact that besides a great number of corpses of civilians in the foreground of the photograph, outskirts of a settlement are seen in the background, which, in principle, should add verisimilitude to Baku's version on mass killings of Azerbaijanis in Khodjalu. Meanwhile, color version of the above-mentioned photograph absolutely refutes it, namely the faces of the deceased, their garments, etc. In fact, this photograph is directly connected with the events in Kosovo. Namely as that the photograph along with a great number of the others was exhibited in one Serbian, one Albanian, and in one specialized German forum, in internet-page of reputable edition "New York Times" etc.



However, the mentioned undisguised fraud still remains in a number of Azerbaijani sites, thus deluding those uninformed. Booklets with similar fraud are circulating all over the world.



The NKR MFA Information Department reminds that on February 25-26, 1992, the Karabakhi side launched a military operation to release the only airport of the republic, situated near Khodjalu settlement and to neutralize the weapon emplacements of the enemy in Khodjalu, from where since summer of 1991 the populated areas of Nagorno Karabakh have been regularly exposed to attacks of the Azerbaijani special police squads (OMON), artillery bombardments from "Alazan", "Crystal" and rocket facility of volley fire "Grad".



The release of the airport and neutralization of weapon emplacements of enemy in Khodjalu was of vital importance for the NKR people. The subunits of the NKR Defense Army granted a corridor to the peaceful population for safe and timely leaving the battle zone and the Azerbaijani side was informed of it beforehand. It is well-known that the NKR authorities informed the Azerbaijani side of preparation for the neutralization of the Khojalu weapon emplacements two months prior to the operation and that was repeatedly confirmed by the officials of Azerbaijan, in particular, by the then president Ayaz Mutalibov.



However, the leadership of Azerbaijan did not undertake anything to help the peaceful population to leave the battle zone. Moreover, a column of peaceful population was shot near the border of Aghdam region, which was later on confirmed by Mutalibov, who connected the crime with the opposition's efforts to remove him from the office by making him responsible for everything.



The territory where subsequently many corpses were filmed is 3 km far from Aghdam and 11 km from Khojalu. Up to the fall of Aghdam (summer 1993) this area was under permanent control of the Azerbaijani units, which excluded the access of the Karabakh self-defense units there. Some details of this military operation are so far shrouded in mystery and namely using this circumstance official Baku tries to profit from it to gain its political goals.



It is noteworthy, that all the propaganda is being carried out with pronounced anti-Armenian insinuations and is used for forcing ethnic intolerance and hatred towards Armenians among Azerbaijanis.



Unfortunately, the topic of "Khodjalu" remains to be one of the cornerstones of the Azerbaijani domestic and foreign information or rather misinformation policy within the context of the Karabakh problem in general."