| 1995 Azerbaijani coup d'état attempt | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of thePost-Soviet conflicts | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Special Purpose Police UnitTurkish putschists Supported by:  Nationalist Movement Party[1] | Supported by: Government of Turkey Russia | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Rovshan Javadov † | Heydar AliyevSafar Abiyev Supported by: Süleyman DemirelBoris Yeltsin | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 8 putschist police officers killed | 23 pro-government forces killed(22 soldiers and 1 police officer) 7 wounded | ||||||
The1995 Azerbaijani coup d'état attempt, also known as theTurkish coup in Baku,[2] was acoup d'état attempt by members of theAzerbaijani military, led by ColonelRovshan Javadov at the head of a detachment ofSpecial Purpose Police Unit (OPON). The group aimed to take control of the country from presidentHeydar Aliyev and reinstall former presidentAbulfaz Elchibey. The coup was foiled when the Turkish PresidentSüleyman Demirel became aware of elements inTurkey supporting the plot, and called Aliyev to warn him. On 17 March 1995, units of theAzerbaijani Armed Forces surrounded the insurgents' camp and assaulted it, killing Colonel Javadov.[4] Reports in Turkey following the 1996Susurluk scandal elaborated on support for the coup from elements in Turkey.
On 12 December 1994 a team of people, includingKorkut Eken (TurkishNational Intelligence Organization, MİT),İbrahim Şahin andAyhan Çarkın (TurkishPolice Special Operations Department) andAbdullah Çatlı (contract killer), traveled from Turkey to Azerbaijan in order to train a unit of 60OPON police officers for the coup. They were invited by OPON commanderRovshan Javadov, aKGB defector to theCIA, who also directed the abortive coup.[5] The KGB/FSB and CIA closely monitored events.[6]
According to the newspaperYeni Şafak, the coup was directed by Turkish colonelNecabettin Ergenekon, while he was allegedly the commander of the Adıyaman Gendarmerie Regiment. However, other newspapers report that he retired in 1982 from the Adıyaman Martial Law Command (Turkish:Adıyaman Sıkıyönetim Komutanlığı).[7]Yeni Şafak also alleged that Elchibey is related to Turkish GeneralVeli Küçük.[8]
The coup was foiled after the MİT tipped off PresidentSüleyman Demirel on 10 March 1995 and he called Aliyev.[9] On 17 March 1995, units ofAzerbaijani Armed Forces surrounded the insurgents in their camp and assaulted it, killing Javadov.[4]
According to a 1996 MİT report, Turkish prime ministerTansu Çiller gave ministerAyvaz Gökdemir, police chiefMehmet Ağar,İbrahim Şahin, andKorkut Eken the green light to install Elchibey as president.[6][10] Elchibey was an ideological ally of TurkishNationalist Movement Party (MHP) politicianAlparslan Türkeş, who harbored aspirations ofcreating a Turkic state stretching across theCaucasus. Türkeş' 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 theSusurluk scandal) said that Prime Minister Çiller's chief counselors,Acar Okan andSüleyman Kamil Yüceoral, were involved in the coup attempt. Susurluk Commission memberFikri Sağlar argued that the purpose of the coup was to secure thenarcotics route from Afghanistan. Sağlar pointed out that Yüceoral was involved in paying Afghan warlordRashid Dostum from aslush fund.[11]
Later press reports claimed that theErgenekon gang, of which GeneralVeli Küçük is a suspected member, was responsible for the coup attempt, indicating a relationship between Susurluk and Ergenekon.[12]
KGB'nin adamıyken CIA'ya kayan ve çok taraflı çalışmalarıyla dikkat çeken Ruşen Cevadov'a Azerbaycan'da darbe yaptırılmasına kalkışmaktır.
This was at a time when the Ergenekon organization was trying to overthrow late Azerbaijani President Haydar Aliyev and reinstate Elçibey, who was ousted in 1993 in a coup d'état.
