Shusha is one of the historical and cultural cities of Azerbaijan, which located in Nagorno-Karabakh region of the Republic of Azerbaijan. It was founded in the eighteenth century by Karabakh kahanate, and subsequently it became main political and economic center of Karabakh. The city of Shusha has old monuments and prominent cultural and art centers along with its beautiful nature and geography.

On 8 May 1992, Shusha was occupied by Armenian armed forces. As a result of the occupation of Shusha, 195 Azerbaijani citizens were killed, 165 were injured, 552 infants lost their parents, and more than 20,000 people were displaced. All historical and cultural sites in Shusha, such as the palaces of Karabakh Khanate, mosques, temples, tombs, theaters, museums, schools and libraries were completely annihilated by Armenian aggressors.

American political expert Peter Tase, in his interview to EDNews.net condemned Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan and called international community to increase pressure on Armenia.  

Peter Tase is a contributor, freelance journalist and a research scholar of Paraguayan Studies and Latin American Affairs in the United States. He is also a researcher of the geopolitical issues in the South Caucasus, especially Garabagh conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

-  Dear Peter Tase, 28 years ago, on 8 May 1992, Armenian armed forces occupied Shusha, the historical city of Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh. As a result of occupation, the whole city became victim of Armenian vandalism. All Azerbaijan's heritage in Shusha, such as monuments, mosques, cultural centres, theatres, museums, schools and libraries, were destroyed and looted by Armenian troops. How would you assess this vandalism by Armenian military forces?  

- The occupation of Shusha by the Armenian Armed Forces, 28 years ago, was a brutal act of war against the Republic of Azerbaijan and sovereign territory of Azerbaijan. The overall destruction of SHUSHA region by the Armenian Armed Forces is a crime against humanity and has emerged as the most ruthless crime against international cultural heritage. Such a historic city of Azerbaijan has been destroyed by the occupation forces and its local people were victims of monstrous crimes. Many Azerbaijani children and women have lost their lives in Shusha and over one thousand civilians, including women and kids have never been found. It is disturbing that International Community does not condemn publicly the horrific acts of terrorism committed by Armenian Armed Forces in Shusha. Western Democracies must applaud the principles of negotiations embraced (and the peaceful strategy adopted) by the Republic of Azerbaijan and above all must support Azerbaijan on its journey towards securing a perpetual peace with Armenia while ensuring a total territorial sovereignty, expel Armenian occupation forces from every inch of the Azerbaijani territory.   

Armenian terrorism has prevailed predominantly against children, women, and cultural heritage sites of international prestige. Armenian Armed Forces are globally known for violating the international rules of war and in Nagorno – Karabakh, nearby the local rivers, and in the vicinity of the frontline, they have dropped kids’ toys filled with explosives, causing many tragic deaths among the Azerbaijani innocent kids. Only recently, nearby the frontline, there was a five year old boy from Aghdam, a thirteen year old girl from Tovuz and a two year old girl from Fizuli region of Azerbaijan that have horribly lost their lives, meanwhile the International community is standing by and watching, without taking any significant measures against Armenian terrorists hiding in Yerevan.  What Armenian authorities have done in Shusha and in the other seven occupied territories of Azerbaijan – as well as in Nagorno – Karabakh – is a pure act of evil, which can only be compared with the massive destruction of Palmyra in Syria committed in 2015 by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

 - The destruction of historical heritage of Azerbaijani people in the occupied territories by Armenians is a central part of cultural genocide. However, Armenians have also resorted to falsifying historical monuments of Azerbaijan. What can you say about Armenian falsification in Karabakh?

- It is a proven historical fact, with a multitude of authentic documents that the people of Armenia are currently walking, breathing and living on top of a massive ancient Azerbaijani graveyard in Yerevan; many renowned historians in Europe and North America have scientifically proved this fact. Furthermore, what makes things worst is that Nagorno-Karabakh and its adjacent seven districts (occupied by the Armenian Armed Forces) have experienced a high level of destruction and obliteration of the local ancient cultural monuments, ethnographic centers, museums of history, libraries and archaeological parks; all of these sites indeed are a rare treasure to international cultural heritage and should have been fiercely protected by UNESCO (over the last three decades).  Historical Falsification and misrepresentation of the history of Nagorno-Karabakh, orchestrated by the Armenian Fascist regime, is a fundamental component that has seriously harmed the cultural heritage and national history of Azerbaijan (in the eyes of international observers). In addition to the information warfare (and the brutal propaganda machine) led by Yerevan, we also have the total destruction of cultural sites in twenty percent of sovereign territory of Azerbaijan that has been occupied and socio-economically destroyed by the Armenian Armed Forces for over three decades; throughout this long time of Armenian brutality, many international actors in charge of regional security in Europe and from across the Atlantic have not taken the necessary preventive and containment measures.  This is the reason why Armenian fascist government has been successful in destroying the cultural heritage, ancient pottery, archaeological parks of the bronze age and religious monuments on every Azerbaijani village that was occupied by the Armenian Armed Forces.

Established from the fundamentalist nationalist sentiment, while aspiring a mythical “Greater Armenia”, Armenian terrorism has repeatedly been accustomed to meet the changing objectives of the Armenian cause. Armenian terrorism has emerged in the mid XIX Century, it became a major concern and imminent threat to European countries and in the Caucasus region, with more than 200 terrorist attacks spread in four continents, stretching from United States to Australia. The international community must know that every wave of heightened Armenian nationalism has been accompanied by terror and violence; it is a frightening disappointment that the European Union and other global security entities have failed to eradicate this phenomenon, while Armenia continues to practice and preach terrorism inside the sovereign territory of Azerbaijan.  As we commemorate the 28th anniversary of the terrible occupation of Shusha by Armenian Armed Forces; hope remains high for Brussels, Berlin, and Washington to actively engage and exert pressure against Yerevan, until we have secured a full territorial sovereignty of Azerbaijan.

- How should we reach information to the attention of the world regarding hideous works of Armenian separatists against our culture in Karabakh?

- Let us remind ourselves once again that:

Armenia is carrying out illegal settlement practices in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, destroying and distorting cultural monuments belonging to the people of Azerbaijan. Yerevan is active in illegal commercial activity involving objects of Azerbaijan’s cultural heritage and is preventing the return of Azerbaijani IDPs to their ancient homes. All this is yet another proof that the annexation of Azerbaijan’s occupied territories remains the main goal of Armenia.

Furthermore, food industries located in the occupied territories played an important role in the national economy of Azerbaijan. The food, public works and light manufacturing industry that were highly developed in this region, were positively influenced by the supply of local agriculture, raw materials, and natural resources. Dairy, wine making, including light industry were the most developed industrial sectors in the occupied territories and played a vital role in providing the local population with food supplies. In terms of industry and development rates, NKAO ranked fourth (in early 1980s) among the other economic hubs of Azerbaijan SSR. At the present, these commodities are not available anymore and all aspects of production and industries are destroyed by Armenian Armed Forces.

Armenian Armed Forces control in the sovereign territory of Azerbaijan the following:  mineral water-packaging plants, factories producing Karabakh and Aghdam marble, faced stone factories, wineries producing popular and high-quality wines from Aghdam (and other wine sub-products), dairy farming and livestock producers, a weaving mill, a shoe factory, a Karabakh silk complex (to mention a few). Additionally, more than 50 branches of Baku-based companies and a total of over 300 industrial and construction sites remain in these territories that are under Armenian occupation today.

We have to share with the international community that: Azerbaijani people have been heavily suffering from Armenian Armed Forces’ ruthless attacks over the last three decades; regional turmoil instigated by Armenia is a threat to global peace; cultural heritage sites destroyed by Armenian regime, are a great loss for all humanity.  In this context journalism and public diplomacy provide great contributions so that we can professionally face and surreptitiously confront the Armenian propaganda machine and information warfare that has been always directed against Azerbaijan.

by Yunis Abdullayev