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ZHIRAYR SEFILYAN CELEBRATES SHUSHI ANNIVERSARY IN NSS

Politics

A1+ conducted an interview with Zhirayr Sefilyan, a veteran of the Nagorno-Karabakh war, the coordinator of “Protection of Liberated Territories” Organization and Commander of the Shushi battalion.

To remind; Sefilyan is currently in the National Security Service isolation ward and celebrates the 15th anniversary of the Shushi liberation there. He was arrested December 9, 2006. The arrest was grounded by his calls for forcible power takeover and his announcement to “smash the heads of people who will dare to return the liberated territories.”

You used to say that “Shushi is our national mirror.” Has the town changed its role over the past 15 years?

Shushi has always been and still remains “a town of ghosts.” More people lived in the town during the war than there are nowadays. Our officialdom try to use the anniversary in their pre-election campaign and celebrate it solemnly. Still, their attempts do not change public’s negative attitude towards the town.

You claimed that the liberated territories should be resettled. Why isn’t the Shushi resettled, in your opinion?

Shushi is not resettled as the country’s material resources are spent on the construction of North Avenue.

Being a direct participant of the Shushi liberation struggle could you ever imagine that you might celebrate the 15th anniversary in a NSS cell? /i>

I must confess that the detention didn’t take me unawares. The impetus for the Shushi struggle was the will-power of the Armenian people.

On one occasion, Serge Sargsyan said that people liberating the territories in 1992-94 were well aware that the lands would be returned one day to determine the NKR status. What do you think of this?

I have already refuted the information. None of the participants would have agreed to make a bargain and to return the lands later on.

Samvel Babayan has announced many times that the NKR-related issues are settled in Yerevan that’s why he has moved to Yerevan. Seyran Ohanyan is also moving to the Republic of Armenia. What is your opinion of this? Isn’t Shushi becoming deserted?

Shushi has been physically and morally abandoned for a long time. The RoA authorities are to blame for it. The military efficiency of the RoA Armed Forces depends on the personal qualities of the RoA and NKR military circles. Post changes can hardly affect military efficiency.

Presidential elections will be held in Nagorno-Karabakh soon. Gnel Ghlechyan, a member of the “Dashink” (Alliance) Council, announced that the newly-appointed NKR President will “obey” the RoA authorities like the previous one. Will this fact impact on the Karabakh conflict resolution?

The Armenian authorities are determined to have their submissive to NKR. And yet, it won’t affect the conflict resolution process seriously.

Currently, NSS employees are ransacking the flats of the “Civil Disobedience” members. What is your opinion on their action?

The recent arrests and searches testify to the fact that our high-level officials aren't sure of themselves, they don't rely on their abilities; they perceive upcoming menaces and do their utmost to neutralize them.

RoA President Robert Kocharian urged not to mention the Karabakh conflict during the pre-election campaign. Thus, the public is unaware of parties’ stance towards the NKR regulation. Isn’t the matter that important?

Indeed, few parties reveal their opinion on the conflict settlement. Some of them had better keep silent (OYP) others refer to the matter from their own interests (ARF Dashnaktsutyun).

Obviously, all political forces avoid revealing their stance as they fully understand they might be involved in high treason.

What is the real reason for your detention, in your opinion?

I connect it with the elections. There was an urgent need to change the country's inner moral atmosphere. Therefore, we had announced that we would “hinder falsifiers and forbid them to raise a hand on people.” We had no expectations from the elections and were eager to serve national interests. Authorities were “scared from the idea,” therefore, they neutralized me.

Victoria Abrahamyan.