| 1995 Azerbaijani coup d'รฉtat attempt | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Post-Soviet conflicts | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Special Purpose Police UnitTurkish putschists Supported by:  Nationalist Movement Party[1] | |||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Rovshan Javadovย โ |
Heydar Aliyev Safar Abiyev Supported by:  Sรผleyman Demirel Boris Yeltsin | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 8 putschist police officers killed |
23 pro-government forces killed (22 soldiers and 1 police officer) 7 wounded | ||||||
The 1995 Azerbaijani coup d'รฉtat attempt, also known as the Turkish coup in Baku,[2] was a coup d'รฉtat attempt by members of the Azerbaijani military, led by Colonel Rovshan Javadov at the head of a detachment of Special Purpose Police Unit (OPON). The group aimed to take control of the country from president Heydar Aliyev and reinstall former president Abulfaz Elchibey. The coup was foiled when the Turkish President Sรผleyman Demirel became aware of elements in Turkey supporting the plot, and called Aliyev to warn him. On 17 March 1995, units of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces surrounded the insurgents' camp and assaulted it, killing Colonel Javadov.[4] Reports in Turkey following the 1996 Susurluk scandal elaborated on support for the coup from elements in Turkey.
Events
editOn 12 December 1994 a team of people, including Korkut Eken (Turkish National Intelligence Organization, MฤฐT), ฤฐbrahim ลahin and Ayhan รarkฤฑn (Turkish Police Special Operations Department) and Abdullah รatlฤฑ (contract killer), traveled from Turkey to Azerbaijan in order to train a unit of 60 OPON police officers for the coup. They were invited by OPON commander Rovshan Javadov, a KGB defector to the CIA, who also directed the abortive coup.[5] The KGB/FSB and CIA closely monitored events.[6]
According to the newspaper Yeni ลafak, the coup was directed by Turkish colonel Necabettin Ergenekon, while he was allegedly the commander of the Adฤฑyaman Gendarmerie Regiment. However, other newspapers report that he retired in 1982 from the Adฤฑyaman Martial Law Command (Turkish: Adฤฑyaman Sฤฑkฤฑyรถnetim Komutanlฤฑฤฤฑ).[7] Yeni ลafak also alleged that Elchibey is related to Turkish General Veli Kรผรงรผk.[8]
The coup was foiled after the MฤฐT tipped off President Sรผleyman Demirel on 10 March 1995 and he called Aliyev.[9] On 17 March 1995, units of Azerbaijani Armed Forces surrounded the insurgents in their camp and assaulted it, killing Javadov.[4]
Motivations
editAccording to a 1996 MฤฐT report, Turkish prime minister Tansu รiller gave minister Ayvaz Gรถkdemir, police chief Mehmet Aฤar, ฤฐbrahim ลahin, and Korkut Eken the green light to install Elchibey as president.[6][10] Elchibey was an ideological ally of Turkish Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) politician Alparslan Tรผrkeล, who harbored aspirations of creating a Turkic state stretching across the Caucasus. Tรผrkeล' support of the coup attempt also provoked a diplomatic crisis between Turkey and Azerbaijan, and the latter country officially requested a statement refuting the section of the report dealing with the attempted coup.[11]
The 1996 Susurluk report (following the Susurluk scandal) said that Prime Minister รiller's chief counselors, Acar Okan and Sรผleyman Kamil Yรผceoral, were involved in the coup attempt. Susurluk Commission member Fikri Saฤlar argued that the purpose of the coup was to secure the narcotics route from Afghanistan. Saฤlar pointed out that Yรผceoral was involved in paying Afghan warlord Rashid Dostum from a slush fund.[11]
Later press reports claimed that the Ergenekon gang, of which General Veli Kรผรงรผk is a suspected member, was responsible for the coup attempt, indicating a relationship between Susurluk and Ergenekon.[12]
Bibliography
edit- de Waal, Thomas (2003). Black Garden: Armenia and Azerbaijan Through Peace and War. New York: New York University Press. ISBNย 978-0-8147-1945-9.
- 1998 Report (PDF) (Report). Ankara: Human Rights Foundation of Turkey. 2000. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 February 2009. (contains the Susurluk reports in the annex, and material on the Counter-Guerrilla) (in English)
References
edit- ^ de Waal 2003, p.ย 252.
- ^ a b de Waal 2003, p.ย 295.
- ^ (HRFT 1998, p.ย 48)
- ^ a b Los Angeles Times, 18 March 1995, Azerbaijan Coup Attempt Crushed Caucasus: Loyal forces storm a building and overcome mutinous police units, president reports.
- ^ "Bu oyunun adฤฑ รผรง maymunlar". Yorum. Radikal (in Turkish). 25 June 1998. Retrieved 29 December 2008.
KGB'nin adamฤฑyken CIA'ya kayan ve รงok taraflฤฑ รงalฤฑลmalarฤฑyla dikkat รงeken Ruลen Cevadov'a Azerbaycan'da darbe yaptฤฑrฤฑlmasฤฑna kalkฤฑลmaktฤฑr.
- ^ a b (HRFT 1998, p.ย 49)
- ^ Dรถnmez, Ahmet (19 July 2008). "Veli Kรผรงรผk'รผn komutanฤฑ Ergenekon: Vatan hainleri soyadฤฑmฤฑ kirletti". Zaman (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 11 October 2008. Retrieved 25 December 2008.
- ^ Arslan, Saban (24 December 2008). "รzeyir Garih'in ipi Aliyev'e darbe planฤฑnda รงekildi". Gรผndem. Yeni ลafak (in Turkish). Retrieved 25 December 2008.
- ^ Aslaneli, Hakan; Yoruk, Zafer F (6 November 1996). "'Traffic Monster' reveals state-mafia relations". Hรผrriyet. Turkish Daily News. Retrieved 11 December 2008.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ Savumlu, Serpil; Doฤan, ลahin (4 November 2006). "Susurluk'tan 10 yฤฑl sonra". Gรผndem. Evrensel (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 3 July 2009. Retrieved 23 December 2008.
- ^ a b (HRFT 1998, p.ย 50)
- ^ "Report: Garih's execution warrant issued in 1995". Today's Zaman. 17 December 2008. Retrieved 26 December 2008.
This was at a time when the Ergenekon organization was trying to overthrow late Azerbaijani President Haydar Aliyev and reinstate Elรงibey, who was ousted in 1993 in a coup d'รฉtat.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
