THE WAR OVER THE NAGORNO
KARABAKH ENCLAVE HAS DRAGGED ON FOR MORE THAN THREE WEEKS SWEEPING THROUGH THIS
REGION WITH DEVASTATING FORCE. IT’S ALSO SWEEPING AWAY OLD CERTAINTIES THAT
HAVE HELD HERE FOR ALMOST THREE DECADES.
ETHINC ARMENIANS WON CONTROL
OF THIS REGION IN A BITTER AND BLOODY WAR BETWEEN THE FORMER SOVIET REPUBLICS
OF ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN THAT BROKE OUT AS THE SOVIET UNION DISINTEGRATED.
THEY CEMENTED THEIR RULE
OVER THESE MOUNTAINS, DECLARING INDEPENDENCE AND FORGING OVERLAND LINKS WITH
ARMENIA. AZERBAIJAN DOESN’T YET RULE THE MOUNTAINS, BUT IN THIS NEW WAR, IT
RULES THE SKY WITH AN ARSENAL OF SOPHISTICATED WEAPONRY PURCHASED WITH ITS OIL
WEALTH.
IT’S A WAR IN WHICH YOU
NEVER SEE YOUR ENEMY FACE TO FACE. ETHNIC-ARMANIAN FORCES ARE LEFT TO WARILY
SCAN THE SKY SEARCHING FOR THE NEXT SUICIDE DRONE OR GUIDED MISSLE.
GEORG, MEDIC
It’s a plane! it’s a
plane! It’s not safe here!
The same thing happened
yesterday. The planes arrived, fired rockets, and afterwards we were hit with
bombs, some kind of Smerch
rockets or artillery, I don’t really know, I’m a doctor, I don’t know these
weapons very well.
[bomb blast]
See?
HERE IN MARTAKERT, A
MILITARY HOSPITAL WAS DESTROYED IN A STRIKE ON WEDNESDAY AS STAFF REMOVED
BODIES FOR TRANSPORTATION HOMEWARDS.
TWO MEDICS WERE INJURED.
THIS TOWN, LIKE OTHER PARTS OF KARABAKH, HAS REMAINED UNDER FIRE DESPITE A
CEASEFIRE THAT WAS BROKERED BY RUSSIA LAST WEEK.
RUSSIA ONCE RULED OVER
BOTH ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN, BUT LATELY, THERE IS A NEW POWER PLAYER IN THE
REGION: TURKEY. IT HAS SUPPLIED ITS ALLY AZERBAIJAN WITH AN ARSENAL OF KILLER
DRONES AND SENT IN SYRIAN MERCENARIES ON BAKU’S BEHALF.
ANKARA’S INVOLVMENT IS
EVOKING MEMORIES OF THE 1915 ARMENIAN GENOCIDE. MARTEN SARGIYAN FEARS
THE WORST.
MARTIN SARGIYAN,
PENSIONER
It’s like it was in
1915, they want the same thing // genocide for us. They don’t want us here.
FOR ALMOST THREE WEEKS
SARGIYAN HAS CALLED THIS CELLAR UNDERNEATH A KINDERGARTEN IN THE TOWN OF
MARTUNI HIS HOME. HE SHARES IT WITH SEVERAL OTHER PENSIONERS. ONE OF WHOM WAS
HIT WITH SHRAPNEL WHEN HIS GUARD BOOTH WAS DESTROYED BY A BOMB.
SIMON OSTROVSKY, SPECIAL
CORRESPONDENT, MARTUNI, NAGORNO KARABAKH
Here on the fringes of
Karabakh unlike in the big cities, the ceasefire never came into effect, the
war never ended, the men here are frail and old, they say they hope for peace,
but they’re also ready for war.
MARTIN SARGIYAN
Half an hour ago there
were explosions 100 meters from here. We want peace, we want our sons and
grandchildren to come here, to be near me. That’s what I want.
MARTUNI HAS BEEN
TRANSFORMED INTO A GHOST TOWN. THE STREETS ARE POCKMARKED AND DESERTED. THE
SOUND OF DISTANT ARTILLERY FIRE HANGS IN THE AIR.
YET VIOLETTA TUMANYAN
REFUSES TO FLEE MY SON IS ON THE FRONTLINE, SHE SAYS. IF WE STAY HERE, OUR SONS
WILL FIGHT HARDER KNOWING THEY NEED TO DEFEND US. IF WE LEAVE, WHO WILL THEY BE
FIGHTING FOR, SHE ASKS?
FURTHER BACK FROM THE
FRONTLINE IN THE TOWN OF LACHIN, WE MEET THE OWNER OF A SUPERMARKET. STEPAN
SARGSYAN LIVED IN LOS ANGELES FOR 20 YEARS BEFORE DECIDING TO PLANT ROOTS ALONG
THE ONLY FUNCTIONING ROAD CONNECTING KARABAKH TO THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA. ON
FRIDAY, A BRIDGE HERE WAS TARGETED WITH AN AIRSTRIKE IN AN ATTEMPT TO SEVER
THAT LINK.
HE TELLS US IT HAS BECOME
MORE DIFFICULT TO FILL STORE SHELVES WITH DAIRY PRODUCTS AND MEAT SINCE THE
CONFLICT BEGAN.
STEPAN SARGSYAN,
RESIDENT
[00:36:35] It was a
very, very big attack. We didn't expect it to be this bad. // I didn't
think and then make some regular standard statements and then forget about it. //
I say that it will be fine. They won't win. But let's hope that God will
help us. That ends up being true. [00:38:13]
DISTRICTS LIKE LACHIN
ARE AT THE CENTER OF AZERBAIJAN’S GRIEVANCES WITH ARMENIANS.
MAP
WHEN ETHNIC-ARMENIAN
FORCES WON THE FIRST WAR THEY DIDN’T JUST TAKE CONTROL OF THE MOSTLY ARMENIAN
KARABAKH REGION, THEY ALSO TOOK OVER SEVEN SURROUNDING DISTRICTS OF AZERBAIJAN
FORCING OUT THE ETHNIC-AZERI POPULATION. ARMENIANS TOO HAD TO FLEE AREAS THAT
REMAINED UNDER AZERBAIJAN’S CONTROL.
KARABAKH’S
REPRESENTATIVE TO THE UNITED STATES ROBERT AVETISYAN TOLD ME THESE AZERBAIJANI
DISTRICTS, WHICH ARE NOW LARGELY DEPOPULATED, SERVE AS AN IMPORTANT SECURITY
BUFFER FOR NAGORNO KARABAKH, WHICH ARMENIANS CALL ARTSAKH.
Simon: [00:16:09] Do you
think there is a scenario in which Nagorno Karabakh will ever trade land for
recognition with Azerbaijan as part of a lasting peace settlement?
[00:16:22]
ROBERT AVETISYAN, REPRESENTATIVE OF ARTSAKH to the US
[00:19:32] ROBERT:
WHATEVER IS UNDER CONTROL of our political leadership, whatever is the Republic
of Artsakh today is even less geographically and historically than historical
Artsakh, which was part of Armenia for millennia. [00:19:43]
[00:21:03] Simon: So
that's a ‘no?’ [00:21:03]
[00:21:05] Robert: That
is the clear understanding that the security of the Republic of Artsakh is in
the hand of the political leadership and the defense army
AZERBAIJAN TOO HAS TAKEN
AN UNCOMPROMISING STANCE, DEMANDING ALL THE TERRITORY CONTROLLED BY ARMENIANS
WITHIN IT’S INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED BORDERS BE RETURNED TO ITS CONTROL.
ILHAM ALIYEV,
AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT (MALE VOICE)
But at the same time we have proposed that in the future the Armenian
community and the Azerbaijani community should peacefully coexist there.
THE OVERALL DEATH TOLL
CONTINUES TO RISE. ACCORDING TO ARMENIA, 633 SOLDIERS AND 34 CIVILIANS HAVE
DIED FROM ITS SIDE. AZERBAIJAN REPORTS 43 OF ITS CIVILIANS HAVE BEEN KILLED BUT
ISN'T RELEASING FIGURES FOR MILITARY CASUALTIES. JUDGING BY THE GRIM FOOTAGE
COMING OUT FROM THE BATTLEFIELD, IT TOO IS SUSTAINING HEAVY LOSSES.
WHILE AZERBAIJAN HAS
MADE SOME MODEST TERRITORIAL GAINS, IT HASN’T SWEPT THE BOARD AS IT’S MILITARY
LEADERSHIP HAD ORIGINALLY HOPED. A TEMPORARY CEASEFIRE WAS AGREED TO ON
SATURDAY BUT THE TWO SIDES APPEAR TO BE LOCKED IN A GRUELLING WAR WITH NO END
IN SIGHT.
###
|
TIMECODE |
LOWER
THIRD |
1 |
1:08 |
GEORG MEDIC |
2 |
2:21 |
MARTUNI, NAGORNO-KARABAKH SIMON OSTROVSKY SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT |
3 |
2:42 |
MARTIN SARGIYAN PENSIONER |
4 |
4:09 |
STEPAN SARGSYAN RESIDENT |
5 |
5:19 |
ROBERT AVETISYAN REPRESENTATIVE OF ARTSAKH TO THE U.S. |
6 |
5:43 |
ILHAM ALIYEV AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT |