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An email was received
objecting to the listing of the above notes on this site.
The writer, who I believe was an Azeri, said that listing these notes was
supporting terrorism. He also indicated that this website has been
mentioned by the separatists on numerous occasions as a recognizable world
authority (which it is not) and they use it to justify the fact of their
occupation. I have responded to him and said I would study his request and
advise him of any changes I plan to make to this site as a result of his
concern. He provided many links about the Nagorno-Karabakh separatists
movement, some of which indicate that large number of civilians were
killed in the Azerbaijan-Nagorno Karabakh war.
The
following comments were received on this subject:
"The comments made by the person
stating that the Karabakh banknotes are not legitimate because they
are somehow connected with civilian deaths or terrorism are laughable.
For seventy years the Azerbaijani Soviet
government held Karabagh in its icy grip, oppressing and persecuting
the native Armenian population. No doubt Karabagh separated from
Azerbaijan, but it had that right under the Soviet constitution. When
Azerbaijan began to kill Armenians in earnest in Sumgait, Baku,
Kirovabad and elsewhere in February 1988 and January 1990, Karabagh
Armenians could see what fate awaited them if they did not resist.
The courageous people fought a war of independence and were
victorious. Karabagh is today a de-facto independent state, and will
remain independent as long as it can provide for its own military
defense.
The currency issues depicted on this site are just tokens; they have
face values of a few cents only. They do not glorify war or
violence; instead they reflect Christian themes as befits a Christian
country. Azeris who have a problem with this need to get a life."
L. A. Saryan, Ph.D.
ANS, ANA, IBNS Midwest, ArmNs,
TAMS, CSNS, PCNS
3.7.2010
I would appreciate receiving comments from readers on this subject. Any
individual or organization with an opinion on this subject is welcome to
write us. With your permission, we will publish these comments in their
entirety on this site.
DISCLAIMER: This is a non-political, non-commercial website published by an
individual. As such, no recognition or support for any group is implied or
intended. We attempt to provide a fair and balanced description of each
section without regard to political bias. If you feel we have not met this
standard on a particular section, please write us with your comments.
This site is not affiliated with the United Nations or any other political
organization. It is our choice as to which banknotes are
displayed. Our long term goal is to have all banknotes from every issuing
authority listed on this site. However, we have now been made aware of the
political implications of this approach, which we will consider carefully
and determine if this is a good policy.
We are members of the following collector organizations: International Bank Note Society, American Numismatic
Society, Latin American Bank Note Society and the Haitian
Numismatic Society.
Nagorno-Karabakh(NKR) liberation movement to separate
from Azerbaijan and re-establish its historical ties with Armenia began in
1998.
On February 20, 1988, "Artsakh Revival Day" The Nagorno-Karabakh
Autonomous Republic submitted a petition to the Supreme Council of the
USSR to secede from the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic and transfer
to the Armenia Soviet Socialist Republic.
In an attempt to further this process, the above banknotes were prepared
as souvenir issues. Even with this approach there has been a great deal of
controversy about them (see link below".
Azerbaijan has not accepted any change in status, even objecting to the
souvenir notes as they indicate a sign of independence. They have been
accused by Nagorno-Karabakh of genocide and the US Congress adopted a
resolution in August 1992 condemning the actions of Azerbaijan and cutting
off assistance.
A cease fire was signed on May 5, 1994 and NKR is now a defacto
independent state with local election occurring in September 1998 and a
transition to a free market economy has begun. |
