Armenian separatist occupied Shusha and Lachin with the support Pavel Grachov

18 May 2012 12:00 (UTC+04:00)

Armenian separatist occupied Shusha and Lachin with the support of former Russian defense minister Pavel Grachov.

Armenian separatists played key role in the occupation of Shusha, and Pavel Grachov replaced the staff of the Russian 366 regiment with the Armenians,' said Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the State Committee for Work with Refugees and IDPs Ali Hasanov.

According to him, it is not secret that Grachov’s mother was an Armenian:

'Grachov was an acting defense minister of Russia during the occupation of Shusha on May 8 and Boris Yeltsin appointed him to post of the Defense Minister of Russia on May 18, 1992. Armenian separatists occupied Lachin on May 18, 1992 with the support of Grachov. Grachov used Azerbaijani betrayers, especially Rahim Gaziyev that time.'

Hasanov said that Russia plays a great role in the settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict and expressed his hope that newly-elected Russian president Vladimir Putin will be objective in this issue: 'Today, Armenia is not significant for Russia, but Azerbaijan has more strategic significance for Russia.'