InternationalA month of victories
Published: Saturday May 05, 2007
Artsakh.
May is the month when Armenians get together and make history.
The Battle of Avarair, most historians tell us, was fought in May 451. While it was technically a loss, it was a victory for Armenia's future.
In May 1918 Armenian forces stopped the Ottoman Turkish onslaught at Sardarabad and Aparan, making the very existence of an Armenian state possible.
In May 1945, Allied forces - including tens of thousands of Soviet Armenians and thousands of Armenian-Americans - put a definitive end to Nazi rule in Europe.
And more recently, in May 1992 Armenians liberated Shushi in Nagorno-Karabakh and in the following weeks opened the corridor into Zangezur in southern Armenia, physically stitching together the two parts of Armenia.
In May 1994, Armenian soldiers launched a final offensive of the Artsakh war that threatened to cut Azerbaijan in two and forced it to accept a cease-fire and the relative peace that both nations continue to enjoy.
This list is not exhaustive, but it is a reminder of what Armenians may accomplish through collaboration, determination, and sustained efforts.
At the start of Artsakh war, Azerbaijani forces controlled Shushi and surrounded Stepanakert. Artsakh's capital came under direct and indiscriminate fire for over six months, with local people living in bomb shelters on the brink of starvation. Armenians were outnumbered, outgunned, and encircled. Many thought the situation was hopeless.
To have a chance, Armenian forces had to break out of the circle, and that meant, most importantly, taking Shushi. The operation, codenamed Hrazdan - and informally known as "Wedding in the Mountains" - took over a month of careful planning.
On May 8, 1992, Armenian forces, all volunteers, scaled the steep cliffs on which Shushi is located, engaging Azerbaijani forces. After a day-long battle, in which 52 Armenian soldiers were killed, the Azerbaijani forces retreated, and Armenians liberated the town in the early morning of May 9.
This year Armenians are celebrating the 15th anniversary of the Shushi victory. Much work remains to be done in the town itself.
Likewise, much work remains to be done to translate the Armenian military success into a political and diplomatic one, and prevent another war that has been threatened by Azerbaijan.
In the United States, a key role in these efforts is played by the Office of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic in Washington. This mission works with the U.S. administration, Congress, opinion makers, and the general public to advance the pan-Armenian cause of a secure and prosperous Artsakh.
An apt way to celebrate this month of victories is to support the NKR Office in its important work. Visit their website at www.nkrusa.org. Or call 202-223-4330 and see how you can help. We should all be able to take pride in our role in the progress of a secure and free Artsakh.
