Azernews.Az

Armenian separatists occupied the Azerbaijani towns of Shusha and Lachin during the 1990s war with the aid of former Russian Defense Minister Pavel Grachev, Azerbaijani Deputy Prime Minister Ali Hasanov has said.

Speaking to media last week at an event devoted to the 20th anniversary of Lachin`s occupation, Hasanov said Armenian separatists played a primary role in the invasion of Shusha -- a town located in Azerbaijan`s occupied Nagorno Karabakh region -- but Grachev turned entirely into Armenian the composition of the officer corps of the 366th Russian regiment stationed in Khankandi, the center of the self-proclaimed republic currently run there by ethnic Armenians.

Hasanov said Grachev, whose mother is of Armenian nationality, served as Russian defense minister on May 8, 1992, the day of Shusha`s occupation. He was officially appointed by President Boris Yeltsin on May 17. Armenian separatists occupied the Lachin region on May 18, 1992 with the help of Grachev, the deputy prime minister said.

During that period, Grachev used the help of people who betrayed Azerbaijan`s interests, including former Defense Minister Rahim Gaziyev, Hasanov said.

He added, ``We must prepare our people, especially youths, to liberate our land. We must form their loyalty to the motherland, their land and country.``

Highlighting Russia`s current role in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement, Hasanov expressed hope that Russian President Vladimir Putin would adhere to an impartial stance on the issue.

``Today, Armenia has no importance for Russia,`` he added. ``Azerbaijan is more significant for Russia from a strategic point of view.``

Hasanov also criticized the Russian and Iranian ambassadors` not attending the commemoration event on Lachin`s occupation, accusing them of being indifferent to anniversary events held to condemn Armenian occupation of Azerbaijani territory.

According to Hasanov, both ambassadors had been invited, but neither the Russian ambassador nor his envoy joined last Friday`s event, while Iran was represented only by a representative of the ambassador.

Meanwhile, US Republican Congresswoman Virginia Foxx issued a statement over the 20th anniversary of Shusha`s occupation by Armenian armed forces. Foxx, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives who sits on the working group for Azerbaijan, noted that many civilians were killed when Shusha, surrounded by Armenians on three sides, was captured and destroyed by Armenian armed forces.

Foxx`s statement stressed that 20 years have passed since these tragic events, which caused total destruction of the rich historical and cultural heritage of Shusha.

``Ancient museums, religious sites, music schools, and other historical sites are inaccessible to the Azerbaijanis now,`` she said.

The statement also says that ``despite the fact that the UN Security Council adopted four resolutions on territorial integrity and unconditional liberation of the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, Nagorno Karabakh region including Shusha is still under the Armenian occupation``.

``Today we commemorate those who died defending their homeland and those who are outside their homeland. I hope that the Nagorno Karabakh conflict will be resolved soon, and people will be able to return to their homes,`` the statement says.

The Karabakh conflict emerged in 1988 over Armenia`s territorial claims against Azerbaijan. The ensuing war claimed some 30,000 lives and displaced up to a million Azerbaijanis. About 20 percent of Azerbaijani territory has been occupied by Armenian armed forces since a ceasefire was signed in 1994. Peace talks, brokered by Russia, France and the U.S. through the OSCE Minsk Group, have been largely fruitless so far.