Some people never change: A true story of how Azerbaijan was trying to HELP Armenia during the Karabakh war

In 1988, on the 7th of December, a catastrophic earthquake occured in Armenia. The magnitude of the earthquake which shook northwestern Armenia was 6.9 (some claim 7.2) and this was followed by another earthquake four minutes later, measuring 5.8 on Richter scale. Swarms of aftershocks of the Earthquake of 1988 in Armenia having a magnitude of 5.0, continued for months in the area around Spitak, which was completely destroyed.

Armenia Earthquakes hit an area of approx 80 km that included the towns of Leninakan, Spitak, Stepanavan, and Kirovakan in the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic. The epicenter of Armenia Earthquake was located in the Lesser Caucasus highlands, an area which has experienced damaging earthquakes in the past. Other damaging earthquakes of 1899 and 1940 occurred within 100 km of the 1988 epicenter. Armenia Earthquake recorded largest death and property damages since the earthquake of 1976 of Tangshan, China that killed more than 240,000 people. 45,000 people were killed, fifteen thousand were injured and 517,000 people became homeless in 1988 Earthquake of Armenia.

Natually, in the first days after the earthquake, regiments of the Civil Defense, as well as volunteers from all over the USSR began arriving to Armenia for help. Azerbaijan reacted as well. Despite the fact, that the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan was already being torn apart by the raging Armenian separatism (and about 210 000 Azeris were forced to leave Armenia itself), Azerbaijanis were the first to offer a helping hand to the victims of the neighboring country.

Azerbaijan sent a IL-76 plane, loaded with humanitarian aid and volunteers into the disaster zone. However, the plane crashed, while approaching the Leninakan. The plane carried two trucks with various medicine, and supplies. As a result of the disaster, a 9-men crew, along with 69 passengers was killed.

One of those, who was among the volunteers from the Azerbaijani side was a Sumgayit city resident, Haleddin Ibrahimkhalilov, who is retired nowadays.


Tell us, how did you end up in Armenia?

From the firs days after the quake, Azerbaijan organized a trip for the rescuers from the Army of the Civil Defense to Armenia. I was among them, as a reserve officer. I was assigned as a platoon leader. I'll be honest here: even that the war was going on, we didnt even think of this, because there were usual people who needed our help. We went to Ganja, from Sumgayit. There were two IL-76 planes ready. Some people from my platoon wanted to get onto the first plane, however it was already full, and I advised them to go along with me on the second plane. Then, it turned out to be that I saved their lives and mine as well, since the first sent IL-76 crashed. Later on, we found out, that it was shot down with a rocket launcher from the ground. The next day we arrived in Leninakan via the second plane. We were stunned: The city was a complete mess, everything was in ruins, there was no high building visible anywhere. Whole Leninakan was in ruins.

How did Armenians treat the Azerbaijani rescuers?

They were quite negative towards us, I might even say agressive. They would not let us raise our flag on our base there. We thought that at this time, they can forget about their nationalism... didnt happen however. They threatened us, abused, and used to tell us: "We dont need you here, go back to your Azerbaijan, we dont need no help from you".  There were no direct conflicts and clashes between us though. They even did not provide us with food. Thankfully to Soviet army soldiers, we did not starve to death. And what did we do - just tried to help out, and this is how Armenians paid us back. I, personally, took out 10 dead bodies under the ruins, but Armenians did not allow us to go near the rescue operations.

How else did Azerbaijan assist Armenia at that time?

Cranes, bulldozers, excavators, huge amout of fuel, lubricants, medicine - all of this was sent out to them. At least, this is what I've personally seen.

How many days have you spent in Armenia?

17 days. All of that time our team did not even shave, according to the Muslim traditions, we kept in mourning for the dead. When we understood, that Armenians simply will not let us go near the rescue works, we decided to leave it as it is, and go back home. The Armenian side did not even provide us with transport to get back. They did not lead us to the border. You know, its like: "We did not ask you to come, you arrived on your own, and thats how you're going back". So we had to go back on our own. This is how they paid us back for what we tried to do for them despite the war.


/Vesti.Az/