Word: kupreyev
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...Kupreyev even had to be careful about the ethnic background of the soldiers under his jurisdiction. "A group of mothers came to me demanding either that their children not be called up or that they serve in their own territories," he recalls. "But can you imagine what would happen if there were two separate army units, one from Armenia and one from Azerbaijan? Actually there are few Armenians and Azerbaijanis among the troops there. In Nagorno-Karabakh it wasn't just a question of not using Azerbaijani soldiers, but Uzbeks, Tadahiks, Chechens -- any of the Muslim peoples. They were viewed...
...Kupreyev discovered that much of the trouble in the region was instigated by black-marketeers, but he was frustrated by the difficulty of obtaining enough evidence to arrest them. "There are people who have everything to gain by keeping the waters troubled as long as possible," he says. "It is easy to carry on theft when a war is on and the police are practically out of action. We noticed just who was leading popular-front movements in the regions surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh: the director of a lucrative car-servicing center, the head of a local food emporium. They profit...
...Though Kupreyev is careful not to blame Moscow for the continuing tensions, he suggests that some of the bloodshed might have been averted. "Had we had more experience in dealing with ethnic unrest, decisions could have been made months ago," he says. "For example, if Moscow had decided early on to elevate the status of Nagorno-Karabakh from an autonomous region to an autonomous republic, as the Armenians had asked, it might have cooled tensions. It would not have pleased the Azerbaijanis, but they might have been persuaded. Now there is no point in even talking about...
...Kupreyev also feels that censorship should have been imposed in the region. "It's not democratic, but the local media are to blame for inciting people," he contends. "The Azerbaijani TV station in Shusha ((a town in Nagorno-Karabakh)) broadcast interviews with Azerbaijani refugees. I heard one commentator say, 'Don't worry, the time will soon come when we'll give you a better house in Stepanakert than you used to have.' We said let's close the station. Soviet television gains nothing from it, and friendship between peoples will gain. But it didn't happen...
...When we left, people wept and asked us to stay," Kupreyev says. "I wiped away a few tears myself. After all, I became close to these people, even though the Armenians would accuse us of being pro-Azerbaijani and the Azerbaijanis accused us of favoring Armenia. Someone who has not visited Nagorno-Karabakh cannot understand the situation. You mentioned Northern Ireland? The situation has been going on there for more than 20 years now. God forbid it will be the same way here...