"Kalbacar partisans": Who are saboteurs, who are occupiers?

By Kamal Ali

The first phase of the case of “Kalbacar partisans" is over. It has now moved on to the next phase. While the first stage was simple and clear, the second one will be much more complicated.

Three residents of Kalbacar who were forced to leave their homes after the Armenian occupation of the district in 1993 secretly visited their homes in July. At least one of them, Dilqam Asgarov, had been visiting Kalbacar and the graves of his relatives for many years before. You can see him in the picture. 

They could have quietly gone back to the areas under Azerbaijani control without touching anyone in Kalbacar. Still, they were spotted by an Armenian woman who has illegally settled in the district. During the raids and skirmishes, two of them were captured, and the third one was killed. An officer of the occupying army was also killed. 

According to the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC), the man who was killed, Hasan Hasanov, was buried in Kalbacar.  

ICRC visited the detainees on July 26. They were told that the detention conditions of the captives are in line with international rules. 

The separatist regime in Nagorno-Karabakh claims that Shahbaz Quliyev and Dilgam Asgarov were part of a sabotage and reconnaissance group detached by the Azerbaijani army. Yet, the age and equipment of the captives show the opposite. In Azerbaijan, the three brave patriots are called “Kalbacar guerrillas."

In fact, the temporary administration of the region had no right to capture the Azerbaijani citizens visiting their homes. The three Azerbaijani nationals were defending themselves from the occupying force, which is why it is absolutely wrong to accuse them of murder.

Apart from that, the incident occurred in Kalbacar, which is not even part of Nagorno-Karabakh. It was Armenian soldiers who killed Hasan Hasanov and captured the two others that are saboteurs. This principled position of Azerbaijan is based on international law and the UN Security Council resolution calling for immediate and unconditional withdrawal of the occupying force from Kalbacar. 

What makes things worse for the occupier is the fact that one of the captives is a Russian citizen. The other has a Russian wife. 

The wives have appealed to the Russian embassy in Azerbaijan to help secure the release of their husbands. 

The separatist authorities issued a statement, saying they have levied criminal charges against the detainees and initiated a criminal investigation. The articles they cited from their criminal code do not exist in international law.  

An Armenian newspaper published an analytical report, saying that Armenia, which is the occupier of foreign territory and a captor of foreign nationals, is waiting for Baku to reach out to Yerevan on the detainees. If Baku does reach out to Yerevan, it will be a sign that Azerbaijan recognizes the captors as a legal side to the conflict.

Armenians are using the same tactic on the issue of the Sarsang dam in the occupied Agdara District of Azerbaijan. The dam is old and in danger of collapse. If it does collapse, the dam will endanger the lives of tens of thousands of Azerbaijanis living in lowland regions. The separatist regime does not want to spend money and repair the dam. It wants to do so jointly with Azerbaijan. This is another dirty game with a long-term political goal of legitimizing their presence in the occupied territory. 

Given the experience of past years, I am confident that Baku will in no circumstances get in direct contact with the occupying force. It would be simpler to secure the liberation of our “partisans”. If Asgarov and Quliyev are not handed over to Azerbaijan safely, no Armenian that have illegally crossed the Azerbaijani border will return home.  

Bakudaily.az