Top-secret information

N 01/3745

 

Long before the official declaration of the governmental resolution on the resettlement of Azerbaijanis from Armenia to Azerbaijan, the gossips started to circulate among the population of Armenia and caused the incorrect interpretation of the purpose of the arrangement.

 

We observed numerous facts when Azerbaijanis announced their unwillingness to move to the new places, their visits to the cemeteries where they mourned over their relatives and prayed for not being resettled.

 

There were the facts when the collective farmers did not take part in the field works, fell their fruit trees and ruined residential houses and subsidiary establishments.

 

We have been informed that the enemy uses this negative spirits in conducting the anti-Soviet agitation and interpreting the resettlement as the distrust of the Soviet government to Azerbaijanis in case of the war between the Soviet Union and Turkey.

 

After the official declaration of the government’s resolution about the resettlement of Azeri population of Armenia to Azerbaijan and the conduction of explanatory works on the purpose of the measure by the Soviet party organizations the state even deteriorated especially in the Vedi and Zangibasar regions locating in the lowlands where the intention of Azerbaijanis to move to Azerbaijan as soon as possible was observed.

 

Yet, the special information we receive shows that the negative spirits among the Azerbaijani population of Armenia still exists especially in the mountain regions of the country as Basargechar, Amasy, Sisian and others as the explanatory works were not sufficient there.

 

A number of anti-Soviet elements with relations on the other side of the border express the dissatisfaction with the removal and their intention to pass to Turkey illegally.
During the declaration of the forthcoming resettlement and the explanation of the purpose of the arrangement all the participants of the collective farmers meeting greeted this resolution unanimously and announced their readiness to move and later in private conversations most of them started to express dissatisfaction with the said action.

 

Such spirits still exist on the one hand due to the insufficient explanatory work and on the other hand, a part of Azerbaijanis, residing in the mountain regions of Armenia does not want to resettle to the plain parts of Azerbaijan as the climatic conditions will affect them negatively.

 

Moreover, the issue of the payment for the immovable property of deportees or the permission for the sales of the property individually has not yet been settled.
Most of them arrive in Yerevan for the settlement of this issue and a number of others yet they can not get the answer as due to the illness of the representative of Council of Ministers of the Azerbaijan SSR comrade Mamedov the work of the resettlement department was developing as it might.

 

Below are some characteristic facts of the dissatisfaction of Azerbaijanis with their forthcoming removal and the attitude of Armenian population to these actions.

 

1. IN AMASI REGION

 

The tractor driver of Amasy Guseynov Alesker oghlu ordered Armenians will collect the tractor drivers Mamedov Abbas, Amirov Meshedi and Tamrazov Movsum to carry out the low quality sowing as the crop and they would not get anything.

 

The citizen of the village M. Tapakoy Kafar Ahmedoghlu announced during the conversation with his compatriots. “We -Azerbaijanis-will be removed from Armenia and our property will be given to foreign Armenians.

 

The citizen of the same village Ismailov Yusuf Ahmed oghlu announced suring the conversation with his compatriots Akhmedov Ismayil, Ismayilov Kafar and Akhmedov Gumbat that the resettlement of Azerbaijanis from Armenia is due to the forthcoming war between the USSR and Turkey, which will be the country aggressor.

 

The citizen of Magardazhuk village Mamedov Mekhat Makhmud oghlu and the citizen of Dashkerny village Ismailov Ramazan Alekper oghlu (the former war prisoner) also explained the forthcoming resettlement with the expected war with Turkey.

 

The citizen of the Kizikend village Ismayilov Khan Ahmed said during the conversation with the collective farmers: “The say that the resettlement will be carried out voluntarily. That is not true. We will be treated like the Azerbaijanis in Akhalkalaki: we will be put to the railway carriages and taken to Kazakhstan. We should be ready in order not to be caught napping…”

 

The citizen of the village M. Tapakoy Akhmedov Ismayil in his conversation with the compatriots noted: “Many people from Lininakan say that we, Azerbaijanis, will be resettled to Kazakhstan within 24 hours, but the time is not known yet, Aliyev Mirza Kurban oghlu and Ashirov Mamed said: “We will be resettled soon, but they beware to tell that at once. Perhaps, they consider that the collective farmers will go to Turkey… I don’t know what to do. Stupid I was that I had not moved to Turkey earlier and now I must move where I’m told and not where I want to.”

 

…The chair of the collective farm leadership of the aforementioned village Kerimov Ali said, “The issue on the resettlement has been put in vain. Most of the collective farmers do not want to move.”

 

The collective farmers of Ibish, Dashkerin and Chivinli villages Mamedov Bayram Abdulla oghlu, Allahverdiyev Ali Abdullah oghlu and Mamedova Djaar Irza gyzy and others destroy their houses and sell building materials.

 

2. ZANGIBASAR REGION

 

The resident of the village Zengilar Namazov Sultan-Ali Ragim oghlu said: “I have been in Karakyshlak village and the representative of the central committee said that we Azerbaijanis will be removed from Armenia to give our lands to repatriate Armenians.
Due to that most of the collective farmers stopped working and gave the following answer to the question of the chairman of the collective farm why they do not work: What for should we work when Armenians drive us from Armenia”

 

The resident of Bakhgilar village Yusubova Guli Abbas gyzy said: “They intend to remove us and to deliver our property and stock to repatriated Armenians. Some of the residents have started to sell and cur the stock. I have also sold my cow.”

 

The collective farmers of Gey-Gumbat village Aliyev Abbas and Ragimov Ismayil said near the chancellery of the collective farm: “We work in the collective farm in vain. The results of our hard work will be left to Armenians. On the whole, it is difficult to live with Armenians as they keep us down and do not give us the appropriate job even in the collective farm.”
The resident of the Khyrda Demirchi village Mirzoyev Meshadi -Teymur Iskender oghlu said at the presence of the collective farmers Mamedov Ali, Gasanov Abdul-Ali, Kerimov Kulam and others “Azerbaijanis are resettled from Armenia not to place repatriated Armenians instead by the Soviet government does not trust us in the war with Turkey. That is the major cause for the resettlement as most Azerbaijanis, residing in the borderline region will pass to Turkey in the case of war.

 

The resident of Ranchpar village Nasirov Ibragim said during the conversation with Mukhtarov Seid, Tanmazov Asker and Djafarov Mahmud oghlu: All the Azerbaijanis will be removed from Armenia by 1950. That is caused by the distrust of Soviet government for the Azerbaijanis residing near the border in case of the attack of Turkey. On the other hand Soviet Armenia intends to gather all foreign Armenians in order to create an independent state”

 

Nasirov (the former kulak) said in the presence of the collective farmers: The plan of the former secretary of the CK CP of Armenia A. Khandjan stipulates for the arrival of all Armenians of the world and annex Nakhchivan to Armenia and to remove all Azerbaijanis from Armenia to Azerbaijan” Khadjan’s dream is coming true. I have recently heard that the government of Armenia demanded the annexation of Nakhchivan to Armenis, yet Azeri government rejects the demand.

 

The former war prisoner Mamedov Gamid from Shurakend village (has relatives in Turkey) said to collective farmers: Can Azerbaijanis and Armenians are friends? The feud between these two nations has existed and will exist in the future. Therefore, Armenians decided to remove Azerbaijanis from Armenia. I have already destroyed my house so that it will not be passed to anyone else.”

 

The chair of the collective farm of the Shurakend village Aliyev Gumbat, on returning from the regional center to the village, came to the collective farm and told the workers: “The commission from Azerbaijan has arrived and the other day Azerbaijanis will be removed from Armenia. The delay in the resettlement was caused by the rejection of the secretary of Communist Party to transfer the collective property of the farm to Azerbaijan. If he agreed, the question will have been settled long before.”

 

Due to such an announcement, the collective farmers lost courage and stopped working by saying: “If we cannot be the owners of our labor why should we work in vain?”

 

The facts when the collective farmers rejected working were observed in Shurakend, Zengilar, Kelanlu, Agamzalu and others. In these villages, the collective farmers cut the fruit trees at their lands. Most of them evade taxes.

 

The resident of Zengilar village Suleymanov Seyfula (returned from exile in 1947) said to his compatriots: “It is not worth living in Armenia. In case of the war, Armenians will kill all of us and therefore it would be better to move to Azerbaijan”.

 

The resident of the village Sarydjalar Khalilov Khalil Abuzar oghlu (convicted for desertion in 1942) said: “Our collective farmers pay taxes in vain, we’ll be resettled anyway. The Soviet government pinched the people. The policy of bolshevism is based on a lie and it seems to me that we’ll be settling to Siberia rather than to Azerbaijan and our property will be transferred to the state”.

 

3. VEDI REGION

 

In January and February the residents of the Beyuk-Vedi village Abdullayeva Tarlan, Mamedova Urbaba and Mamedula Khuda Bakhshi oghlu ruined their houses and Ayvazov Mikail, Akper Mamed Ali oghlu, Aliyev Bilal, Zeynalov, Zeynalov, Kalashev Orudj, Rza Ali and others terminated part of the fruit frees at their lands.

 

Among the residents of the city Aliyev Gumbat, Kerimov Akper, Kerimov Djanbakhish and others sold their property.

 

The resident of the Taynan Mamedov Kerim ruined its cattle-shed and the resident of Shirazoghlu village Kurbanov Kurban mined one of the romms in his flat.

 

The residents of the Geravan village Mustafayev Guseyn Bashir oghlu with his family of two people and Mustafayev Ismayil with the family of three people voluntarily left for Nakhchivan.

 

It should be noted that the resettlement spirits are higher among the Azeri population and that is evident from the appeals on permission for resettlement from 9915 people of April 28 of this year while the plan of 1949 stipulates for the resettlement of just 500 people to Azerbaijan.

 

4. BASARGECHAR REGION

 

As a result of the spread provocation that Turkey declared war to the Soviet Union in Chichaklu village that will lead to the resettlement of Azerbaijanis; the collective fanners rejected working within three days in February.

The gossips that Armenians replaced the secretary of the regional committee of the Communist party comrade Musayev, chair of the regional executive committee comrade Mamedov and other responsible officials -Azerbaijanis were spread n a number of villages (Dashkend, Chirchaklu, and Zod).

 

Because of these provocations, the collective farmers of the Zod village started to neglect the work. The departure of the party organizer Nasirov Gurzali Gamid oghlu and the chair of the village council Gadjiyev Bala Asker oghlu who left to seek for the place for resettlement in Azerbaijan also had a negative impact on the state of the collective farmers.

 

The significant part of the collective farmers of Shishkay declares its unwillingness to move to Azerbaijan.

 

The morbid statements were also pronounced among the Azeri population of Artashat, Karabakhlar, Oktemberansk, Kafansk, Megrinsk and Sisiansk regions. Thus:
The chair of the village council Vartanidzor of Megrinsk region Gamidov Abdullah gave the following answer to the question on the delay of the irrigation canal laying: Why should we lay it? To leave to akhpars?

 

20 Azeri families residing in Dargalu village of Artashan announced: “Whatever happens, we’ll not move from this village”.

 

Azerbaijanis of Akhund Baovand village also announced: “We are not move from this land, let them kill us here.”

 

The chair of the collective farm in Siznak village of Kafan region Tagiyev Bashir expressing his unwillingness to move to Azerbaijan said: “It is better to die in a native village than to move to a new place”.

 

The resident of Urut village of Sisian region, the member of the Communist Party Iskenderov Salman told to his fellows that he as the citizen of the Soviet Union has a right to live in any place of the Soviet Union and is not willing to leave his house, property and motherland and in accordance with the Stalin’s Constitution nobody has a right to make him move to another place.

 

The accountant of the collective farm of the aforementioned village Farzaliyev Kuvat expressed the same idea noting that he had written to comrade Stalin on his unwillingness to move to Azerbaijan.

 

The member of the Communist Party Djalal Kurbanov residing in Djomartu village of Sisian region said following the meeting of the collective farmers when all the participants spoke for the resettlement: “Most of you do not have any idea about the heat that peculiar of Azerbaijan. In 1918-1919, we -Azerbaijanis -escaped from Armenia to Nakhchiva. There were 14 of us and in two years only three. The remaining 11 people died of heat and diseases. That was Nakhchivan and Mingechaur is even worse. We’ll have a great many of victims.”

 

The resident of the Aravus village of the aforementioned region Ganiyeva Asli said: “If I change my nationality and become Armenian-may I then stay in Armenia and not move to Mingechaur?”

 

Different false interpretations of the causes of resettlement of Azerbaijanis by different people and among the Armenian population from time to time having a nationalistic character are also observed.

 

Thus, the teacher of footwear technology of the Training Industrial Complex under the Ministry of Social Insurance of Armenia-Arakelyan Minas Aristakesovich said: “The issue of the resettlement of Azerbaijanis from Armenia is unquestionable. First, the Azerbaijanis, residing along the banks of the river Arax and Akhuryan will be removed and the resettlement of Azerbaijanis from Yerevan will start later. The reason is quite evident: Azerbaijanis often breach the state border and Turkey creates its spy centers involving them.”

 

The resident of Yerevan Mesropyan Ervand told his neighbor: “It is necessary to remove Azerbaijanis not only from Armenia, but also from Nakhchivan and annex the latter to Armenia.”

 

Ordyan Shura Arutunovna, the wife of Akhverdyan Levon sentenced to 6 years of imprisonment, residing in Yerevan said to her neighbors-foreign Armenians: “Turkey, England and America will initiate war against the USSR. Therefore, Azerbaijanis, residing on the territory of Armenia are resettled to the rear that is to Azerbaijan. Write to your relatives residing abroad not to return to Armenia”.

 

Smbat, the former Dashnak, arriving from France, residing in Kirovakan said in the presence of Armenians: “Dashnaks raised issue on the annexation of Nakhchivan to Armenia but they did not manage to accomplish it. Now it is time to raise this issue once more as Armenia lacks land”.

 

The analogous statements by different persons were registered in Yerevan, Leninakan and others.

 

Minister of the Internal Affairs of Armenia Ssr
Major-general (Grigoryan)

May 3, 1948, Yerevan

 

http://www. azerbaijan. az.

From book “Genocide and deportation of Azerbaijanis”, Administrative Department of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Presidential library, p.124-127, http://files.preslib.az/site/soyqirim/31mart_en.pdf