Armenia needs to somehow justify its occupation policies in eyes of own people: Russian author

Day.Az: I think you last visited Baku 15 years ago. What is the aim of your current visit?

Yuri Pompeyev: You are right. I last visited Baku in October 1994. Now I have visited Baku upon the invitation of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation. The main point is that my trilogy  “Bloody Pool of Karabakh”, “Valley Days” and “Ruins” are going to be published soon as a part of the international civil awareness campaign Justice for Khojaly initiated by Leyla Aliyeva, head of the Russian mission of the foundation.

The first two works have already been published in St. Petersburg in 1992-93 and later here in Baku even in Azerbaijani language. Return to these works is related to their Internet based discussions, including the forum of your news agency where the “Blood Pool of Karabakh” was discussed broadly causing a public outcry. So I decided it is time to return to these works, to add them and publish the trilogy.

Q: What terrified you most of all among the events you witnessed?

A:  I've seen a lot ... I saw the first influx of refugees from Armenia, Black January and saw the people who lost family in the Khojaly massacre, which finally seated me at a table and forced to take up a pen, because the soul was simply overwhelmed. The impressions were so strong that I wrote the first book just for the three months and completed  “Bloody Pool of Karabakh” in May 1992. The fact that I watched all conflicts in the former Soviet Union in late 80's - early 90's  really helped me. I was a member of the Commission on Ethnic Relations established at the House of Writers in St. Petersburg.

Q: How did your relationship with Armenian counterparts in St. Petersburg influence your creativity?

A: They understand that I am just doing my job and present my vision of the events as every other writer. They were aware that I was telling truth. I was very interested in the pursuit of this truth. There were even held discussions with Voevodski and my Armenian colleague Babanov where I defended the interests of Azerbaijan, but they defended that of Armenia.

Q: Who won the debate?

A: Journalist Alexander Soldatov who initiated the debate won it. Upon my initiative, we began to invite the Azerbaijani writers to St. Petersburg right after the Sumgait events to give the opportunity to clarify the situation and to refute the numerous allegations put forward in that time with respect to Azerbaijanis.

Q: Did Armenians invite you to come and see you all on the spot as we do?

A: No, apparently, they realized that I was not a desired guest amid their policy of militarization of consciousness of their people. But they need to justify their occupation policies in the eyes of own people.

Q: What are prospects for the international civil awareness campaign Justice for Khojaly initiated by Leyla Aliyeva, general coordinator of the OIC Youth Forum on intercultural dialogue, on May 8, 2008?

A: With regard to this campaign and the youth movement headed by Aliyeva, it is certainly very promising just as the work of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation mission in Moscow and St. Petersburg. It is encouraging that the actions by the campaign aimed at foreign audiences are creative and can tell pain of Azerbaijani people to representatives of different countries.

I participated in one of the events of the campaign carried out by the OIC YF and Heydar Aliyev Foundation and saw the delicate way youth movement performs its job. One needs to consolidate  ability, intelligence, and then it will be possible to achieve very much. The Heydar Aliyev Foundation has done tremendous work for benefit of its people including recognition of the truth about Karabakh.

/Day.Az/