The true history of Azeris' resettlement from Armenia

PanARMENIAN.Net - Clearly, current generation of Azerbaijanis has no idea of Stalin, the USSR or the fact that back then, all the issues were solved in Moscow. There is an actual document on the resettlement dated December 23, 1947. Authored by the USSR Council of Ministers, the resolution №4083 stipulated for resettlement of the Azeri population of the Armenian SSR to the Kura-Araks Lowland of the Azerbaijani SSR. In 1948-1950, 100000 Azerbaijanis were voluntarily resettled. The same resolution allowed Armenian SSR's Council of Ministers to use the vacated houses for the settlement of Diaspora Armenians who repatriated to their historic homeland. The resolution was signed by the chairman of the USSR Council of Ministers Jоseph Stalin and the executive Chadaev.

According to the document, the Council of Ministers of the Armenian SSR was to help the resettled population sell their houses, with monetary compensation also provided. The resettlement was by no means an act of repression contrary to what Baku is trying to insinuate.

Some “historians” however, insist that the “deportation” was planned by the first secretary of the central committee of Armenia’s Communist Party Georgy Arutinov in order to “regain historic lands.”

But then, how could ever impose any plans on Stalin unless he latter was not interested in them?

True, Stalin was interested in repatriation of Armenians which were followed by customary Stalin-era repressions. Thousands of Armenians were sent to Altai over a mythical connection with ARF Dashnaktsutyun, outlawed in USSR. In July 1949, mass deportations of Armenia’s intellectual elite to Central Asia, where half of them died, were orchestrated.

It so happens that the history of the last 20-30 years becomes rewritten for the benefit of current rulers, turning yesterday’s villains into heroes. Still, regardless of “interpretations,” factual documents can’t be rewritten like they were in Orwell’s “1984.”

But the explanation could be much easier: Baku has conjured up an imaginary world, like Alice did, behind the looking glass. Still, Azerbaijan would do well to remember: those who live in glass houses should not throw stones.