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ANAS President Mahmud Karimov: English sources say some of 26 Baku commissars were taken to India

30 January 2009 09:51 (UTC +04:00)

-There exist various views on 23 bodies, which have been found in the cemetery while transferring 26 Baku commissars from Sahil Park. What is the academyâ€™s official position on this issue?

-Investigations should be carried out there in order to express official position. We do not know yet whom these bodies belong. Unfortunately, the majority of the archival documents were lost during the Soviet times. But despite this search will be needed again. Finding 23 bodies causes doubts. And where are the bodies of the other three? This is the subject of a very strong research. I have already gave instructions to the Institute of History to carry out research. We have to know who were buried in Sahil park, whose bodies we transferred.

-Some say that there were 14 commissars.

-Indeed there were 14 commissars. I do not know how it occurred to be 26. They say they were shot in Turkmenistan and their bodies were later taken to Baku. It was the propaganda of the Soviet state. Historical documents, materials show only 14 commissars.

-When will the research begin?

-The late academician Ziya Bunyadov began the research in this field. HE wrote several articles on this issue. I think that they are very valuable works. He raised archival documents and clarified a number of issues. But these are a small part of the archival documents. The main archival documents are possibly kept in the places we do not know. Their search is very important for us. They even say Anastas Mikoyan took most of those documents from Baku. He came to Baku and abusing his power took most of the documents. Those documents should be searched. We will engage in this issue this year. The issue also ends into India.

-Will ANAS participate in the examination?

-This is the work of forensic experts. In order to know whom the bodies belong, their heirs should be found, DNA testing made, the results should be compared. The main job of the historians is to expose the truth basing on archival documents.

-The majority of the commissars were not Azerbaijanis. It will probably be difficult to find their heirs.

- If I am not wrong, there were only two Azerbaijanis among them: Vazirov and Azizbayov. I guess Vazirov was not even the commissar and Azizbayov was a member of other organization named â€œUezd Commissarovâ€. It was not specified yet their bodies among the remains were found in the Sahil (Seaside) Park or not. It should be researched seriously. Who of their heirs is alive, who is here, who is abroad? All these should be researched. I consider that it is a right decision to take out their bodies from the Sahil Park and to bury in other place. This issue is discussed not only in Azerbaijan, but outside the country as well and not accepted synonymously.

-Stepan Shaumyanâ€™s granddaughter Tatyana Shaumyan called the reports about her grandfatherâ€™s escape to India a legend created as a result of Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict. What do Azerbaijani scientists know about it?

-A version of that some of the commissars were moved out to India existed before the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict. These ideas were formed on the basis of documents and event there were reports in the British sources about that. The British sources denied the fact of execution of commissars. There is an area in Delhi named as Videl Garden and there are nearly 20 unknown graves. For some reason only Armenian tourists are visiting those graves. It is an interesting fact.

- It seems it is necessary to sent fact-finding missions to abroad.

-It will be interesting to send a mission to England at first. British officials fixed and archived the events accurately in that time. Recently Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences issued a book about the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic based on the archive materials found in Britain. We aim to research the materials about 26 Baku Commissars now. Certainly it will be possible to get some information from the English archives. India is also on agenda as a target of researches. Russian and Azerbaijani archive will also be researched. We want to learn the truth to answer our questions and to reply those who raise uproar over this issue.

-What do you think, what goal do the uproar-raisers follow?

- The main goal is to disgrace us. They know well that most of the commissars were not Azerbaijanis. They know well that most of the commissars were Armenians. Therefore they think that we are taking revenge. Russians also discord over Lenin. Some of them demand to take the Leninâ€™s body out of the mausoleum and to bury. Communists insist that Leninâ€™s body should remain in the mausoleum. Armeniansâ€™ sharp reaction is related only to ideology. They claim that we disrespect the commissars. It was absolutely right decision to bury them in other place.