Tatul Akopyan’s Garabakh Diary: From the book Green and Black or neither war, nor peace.
On 27 February, I returned Yerevan with Zori Balayan. I was very tired and felt myself spiritually void. Fatigue pushed me into mental anguish. Next day, I felt myself again like that while I was speaking to participants of demonstration and at the television about news coming from Moscow.
Zori Balayan in the former square made speech about his meeting with Gorbachev: “When Gorbachev entered the room, he greeted Silva Kalputikyan, then looked at me nervously and said”: “This is Zori Balayan who spoke with Igor Muradyan on telephone at the 2 o’clock tonight,” and added one sentence that I used in spoke with Muradyan on the telephone: “We should expect little bit and not allow people to squander.” At this moment I whispered myself: “It seems clearly that our state is still strong. KGB is alive at the every hour.” In reality, I was communicating with Igor on the phone at one time in two or three hours. In conversation on telephone Igor was speaking to me about situation in Yerevan, I was also informing him about news what happened in Moscow. That night, Igor complained that it was difficult for him to stop demonstration and said me: “Repetition happens in the speech that same persons at head of square were only speaking, which was not good”
According to memories of Gorbachev, he previously wanted to meet with Kaputikyan. “Zori Balayan, who is writer and the reporter of Literature newspaper also came to Moscow. Balayan was known radical nationalist along with being prominent, unbridled, self-confident and careerist person. Kaputikyan had taken him with herself to Moscow. Kaputikyan requested me to spend five minutes to talk with him. I accepted her request and met with him. Our talk was very hard, emotional and long. Balayan (clever, young and strong) asked: “What we should tell people?” I replied him: “You should tell your people that the Central Committee and the government of the Union are not hostile to Armenian people, and the Central Committee will focus on problems that happened in Upper Garabakh and needed to be solved.” Let say clearly, we shouldn’t have to be concerned of meeting with them. They are leading representatives of the intelligentsia whom Armenian people listen. By the way, both of them were communists. We realized that in order to not send army Yerevan we had to calm them”
Armenian writer had different opinions concerning the results of the meeting with the head of the Soviet Union. Zori Balayan publicly stated that at this time Garabakh issue will be seriously discussed. He said: “We shouldn’t give any break to Gorbachev.” Silva Kaputikyan also in her speech at the television gave information regarding meeting with Gorbachev.
On 27 February, the organizational committee of the movement adopted decision to suspend demonstrations and strikes for a month.
Publicist Bakur Karpetyan writes in his book that after coming back from Moscow Balayan said before making speech that it is necessary to announce people about suspending demonstrations for a month and request them to return their homes. Furthermore, an hour before the speech, Zori met with Interior Minister Shahinyan. He told Zori that the deputy Minister of the Internal Affairs of the USSR will destroy the rally forcibly, and he just now finds excuse. After meeting with Shahinyan Balayan made announcement to people about suspending demonstration, and requested them to return their homes. People listened Balayan ‘s announcement and left square.”
Zori Balayan and Silva Kalputikyan in their speech said people: “We talked with Gorbachev, he promised something and it is necessary to suspend demonstrations for a month.” As a result, people left the square, but on 27 February riots happened against ethnic Armenians in Sumgait, city of Azerbaijan.
During this time, the square in Yerevan was surrounded by troops while people were attempting to come together to make the rally, ”said Khachik Stamboltsyan, one of the leaders of the Movement, who criticized the writers' actions.
Kaputikyan writes: Zori went to join the rally that was held at the centre of television. I did not have any opportunity to make speech. People were accusing us of just talking. I did not remind that what Zori in his speech told and how he described our meeting with Gorbachev. I can say only this, he ended his speech with such words: “We will definitely win, we also have to take control of Van, Mush and Bitlis.”
On February 26, Gorbachev made appeal to the Armenian and Azerbaijani peoples that was broadcasted on Armenian and Azerbaijani television. On next day, his appeal was circulated in the press.
Gorbachev in his appeal called Azerbaijani and Armenian people to be restraint and patient, and requested them return to normal life and jobs, and obey public law. In Armenia, demonstrations were stopped. However, in another side – in Sumgait city of Azerbaijan clashes happened with Armenians.
Although 20 years have passed after these events, There is still talking about the decisions of the Armenian writers about suspending demonstrations. There are thoughts that if people in Yerevan continued to hold rally, Moscow would withdraw and give Karabakh to Armenia. However, there was the threat of using force to disperse demonstration violently in Yerevan as like how Soviet tanks crushed innocent people who joined the rally in Alma-Ata, Tiflis and Vilnus.
