On December 17, during the public hearings held in the village of Tekali, Georgia, the Head of the Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly of Azerbaijan, Arzu Abdullayeva asked the Chairman of the Gazakh-Agstafa branch of Azerbaijan’s Helsinki Association, also ambulance physician of the Kazakh Hospital, Dr. Khamis Masimov, as a rapporteur, whether there can be civic initiatives that will deserve the approval of the two countries’ government representatives to cease the bilateral shootings during the agricultural works in the bordering communities of Kazakh region and Armenia, Khamis Masimov replied, “People may come to an agreement. I am absolutely sure of it. I have talked on this with the deputy head of Gazakh region executive power, he said, “I agree, but do not give my name, I cannot do anything with it, Khamis, you know that the problem is monopolized, and you know by whom, therefore I am unable to do anything and generally I cannot say anything.”
Later, I spoke with the representative of the former National Security Service. I said, if I convey to them what I think, they can tell it to the “ones standing higher”. During the tenure of the former Minister of National Security, they strongly refused to do it. Now, structural changes going on there. I do not know, they say that as a result they can do it a month or a month and a half later. Frankly speaking, I do not really believe in it. I have always said, let’s start the peace process from Kazakh region. Let’s assume Armenia is giving a few village that are under its control, moves the snipers and heavy artillery some distance away, they will not shoot, let the people reconcile to each other.”
Voskan SARGSYAN
