The Baku Network website published an article about how Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s confession became evidence of cruelty and cynicism
Day.Az presents the full text of the article:
There are moments in history that make even the most resilient shudder. The resurfaced speech of the first President of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosyan on July 23, 1993 is not just archival material, it is a cold shower for those who still believed in the human principles underlying state building. These words, spoken a few days after the occupation of Aghdam, became a frightening reminder of the methods by which modern Armenia was built.
A story written in blood and deportation
Ter-Petrosyan, in his address, says with astonishing frankness that the main goal of the Armenian leadership was not the fight for “independence” or “liberation” of Karabakh, but the creation of an ethnically pure Armenia. His words sound like a manifesto of genocide: “We have cleared Armenia and Artsakh of representatives of other nations… This is a 600-year-old problem that we have solved.” These phrases reveal the essence of what was happening: massacres and deportations became tools for creating a homogeneous society.
Ter-Petrosyan does not hide the fact that as a result of these actions, 170 thousand Azerbaijanis were expelled from the lands where they had lived for centuries. Vardenis, Masis, Amasia, Zangezur – places where Azerbaijanis formed a significant part of the population – turned into symbols of forced expulsion. This became the basis for the creation of a monoethnic state, and the cynical formulation “it did not happen by itself” only emphasizes the thoughtfulness and cruelty of such actions.
It is not only the content that is shocking, but also the tone with which the first president of Armenia speaks about this. Mass deportation is presented as “salvation” and “necessity.” He claims that without these actions Armenia could not exist: “If 170 thousand representatives of other nations remained in Armenia, our state would not be able to protect its regions.” Thus, ethnic cleansing becomes the basis of national policy, the justification for all subsequent steps.
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His words about the fate of the Azerbaijanis living in Armenia sound even colder: “If the movement had not started on time, 500 thousand Armenians in Azerbaijan would have been held hostage.” This recognition turns human lives into instruments of geopolitical calculations. Those who were expelled, destroyed or became refugees, in Ter-Petrosyan’s words turn into abstract numbers, faceless victims of the “national liberation struggle.”
The “freeze” strategy and the cynicism of the future
Another thought-provoking aspect is the approach to the Karabakh conflict. Ter-Petrosyan openly says that Armenia’s task was to freeze the conflict, create a semblance of stability, and then promote its policies for decades. This strategic calculation is revealing: “The main task is to stop the war, ensure lasting peace, and then begin negotiations that could last 20-30 years.” This is not seen as a search for compromise, but as a long-term tactic to justify the occupation and strengthen positions.
Legacy after decades
More than 30 years have passed, but Ter-Petrosyan’s words sound like an ominous echo of the past that continues to poison the present. Justification of ethnic cleansing, framing of violence as “liberation” and attempts to rewrite history in the spirit of nationalism cannot go unnoticed. These confessions expose the cynicism and cruelty that have become the foundation of a political system built on suffering and blood.
Today, when these images have resurfaced in the public space, the question arises: will this truth be heard, and are those who govern Armenia now ready to admit the mistakes of the past, rather than shirk responsibility? Otherwise, history, built on violence, will continue to sow destruction, leaving no room for peace and harmony.
History as a judge: lessons from the past and hope for justice
Time inevitably exposes what they tried to hide. Decades later, the truth is coming to the surface, exposing the motives and consequences of policies based on hatred and ethnic intolerance. The liberation of Azerbaijani lands from occupation, the return of four villages of the Gazakh region without a single shot fired and the confident statements of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev about the right of every exile to return home is not only a political victory, but also a triumph of justice that fills millions of people with hope.
Against this background, Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s revelations sound like an ominous reminder of how far politics built on hatred can go. His confessions, filmed in 1993, shed light on the true goals of the Armenian leadership of that time: not the creation of a democratic state, but violent ethnic cleansing, the transformation of Armenia into a mono-ethnic state disguised as a “national liberation movement.”
Mono-ethnic utopia and its price
Ter-Petrosyan, with a frankness that borders on cynicism, argues that Armenia could not exist without the expulsion of the Azerbaijanis. His words about “cleansing” the country and transforming Karabakh into an ethnically homogeneous region are not just rhetoric, but recognition of a government course that openly violated international law and elementary moral principles.
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The goal was simple: to erase from the map the people and cultures that stood in the way of the nationalist dream. Peaceful Azerbaijanis were expelled from their historical lands, turning their homes into ruins and themselves into refugees. But it turned out that the dream of a monoethnic Armenia is not a path to prosperity, but a ticket to the abyss.
Shattered Illusions
What seemed like “liberation” and “heroism” turned into a national tragedy for Armenia itself. Instead of a prosperous state, Armenian society plunged into a deep socio-economic crisis. Emigration, loss of human capital and impoverishment are the fruits of policies built on injustice and violence. Karabakh, which was supposed to be a symbol of success, remained the epicenter of conflict for decades, with its future in doubt.
Today, with the territory returned to Azerbaijani control, it is clear that the strategy of ethnic cleansing was not only cruel, but also short-sighted. It destroyed not only the fates of those expelled, but also the future of those who had to build a life in the “liberated” region.
The West and double standards
Perhaps the most bitter thing in this story is the silence of those who proclaim themselves defenders of human rights. Ter-Petrosyan’s rhetoric, which is no different from the darkest pages of European history of the 20th century, practically does not cause condemnation. Open recognition of genocide and the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of people is perceived by many as an “internal matter.”
Why does the West, which cares for minority rights and humanistic values, turn a blind eye to these revelations? To justify this with geopolitical calculations or a reluctance to acknowledge the mistakes of the past only serves to deepen the injustice. But time is inexorable: archives reveal what has been kept silent for decades.
History as a lesson and hope
The lessons of the past speak clearly: injustice, no matter how powerful it may seem at the moment, is always doomed to defeat. Today we see how politics based on hatred and violence are returning to their authors like a boomerang.
Armenia stands on the ruins of its own illusions. Levon Ter-Petrosyan has left the political scene, but the legacy of his policies weighs heavily on the entire country. Demographic crisis, economic problems and loss of international trust are the price Armenia pays for its pursuit of an ethnic monopoly.
But the truth, as time shows, always wins. Today, as Karabakh returns to Azerbaijan and the exiles prepare to return to their homes, the world has an opportunity to see the truth. This is not just a political process – it is the restoration of justice, long-awaited for those whose lives were destroyed.
History tells us: the future belongs not to those who build walls of hatred, but to those who create bridges of justice.