Boris Sarkisovich Kevorkov ( hy, Բորիս Կևորկով) (1932–1998) was the First Secretary of the "

Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast The Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO), DQMV, hy, Լեռնային Ղարաբաղի Ինքնավար Մարզ, ԼՂԻՄ was an autonomous oblast within the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic that was created on July 7, 1923. Its cap ...

Committee" of the

Communist Party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. ...

of the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic. He was appointed in 1973 and was dismissed in February 1988.

Biography

Kevorkov was born in

Shamakhi Shamakhi ( az, Şamaxı, ) is a city in Azerbaijan and the administrative centre of the Shamakhi District. The city's estimated population was 31,704. It is famous for its traditional dancers, the Shamakhi Dancers, and also for perhaps giving it ...

to an

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

family. He was appointed Secretary of the

in 1973, the middle of the

Brezhnev Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev; uk, links= no, Леонід Ілліч Брежнєв, . (19 December 1906– 10 November 1982) was a Soviet politician who served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union between 1964 and 198 ...

era. His predecessor Gurgen Melkumyan was removed after leader of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan SSR

Heydar Aliyev Heydar Alirza oghlu Aliyev ( az, Һејдәр Әлирза оғлу Әлијев, italic=no, Heydər Əlirza oğlu Əliyev, ; , ; 10 May 1923 – 12 December 2003) was a Soviet and Azerbaijani politician who served as the third president of Az ...

came into conflict with the Armenian leadership of the autonomous oblast. Melkumyan was a native of Nagorno-Karabakh, unlike Kevorkov. Although an Armenian, Kevorkov was very loyal to Aliyev and other Azerbaijani leaders in Baku, and was resented by the Armenian community. He was married to an Azerbaijani woman. Kevorkov reportedly never once visited Armenia during his fourteen years in the post. During the

Karabakh movement The Karabakh movement ( hy, Ղարաբաղյան շարժում, also the Artsakh movement Արցախյան շարժում) was a national mass movement in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh from 1988 to 1991 that advocated for the transfer of the ma ...

, 87 Armenian deputies from the Regional Soviet called an emergency session of the assembly on 20 February 1988 in response to Armenian demonstrations in Stepanakert calling for the unification of Karabakh and

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ' ...

. Kevorkov and First Secretary of the Azerbaijan Communist Party

Kamran Baghirov Kamran Baghirov Mammad oglu ( az, Камран Бағиров Мәммәд оғлу, italic=no, Kamran Bağirov Məmməd oğlu; January 24, 1933 – October 25, 2000), was the 12th First Secretary of Azerbaijan Communist Party. Biography Fro ...

tried and failed to stop the session from taking place. Late in the evening, 110 Armenian deputies voted unanimously for the resolution, calling for Nagorno-Karabakh to join Soviet Armenia. The Azerbaijani deputies refused to vote. Kevorkov tried to steal the stamp needed to confirm the resolution. On 24 February 1988, Kevorkov was removed from office by Moscow emissaries. His deputy, Genrikh Poghosyan, who was much more popular among Armenians, took his place.

Last years

As the First Nagorno-Karabakh War intensified, Kevorkov decided to move to Moscow, but was arrested at the airport by the Azerbaijani authorities on May 24, 1992. Kevorkov was released from a Baku jail in 1993 by the decree of President

. He subsequently settled in Moscow and worked as a middle school history teacher. He died there in December 1998.

References

Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kevorkov, Boris 1932 births 1998 deaths People from Shamakhi Politicians from the Republic of Artsakh Ninth convocation members of the Soviet of Nationalities Tenth convocation members of the Soviet of Nationalities Eleventh convocation members of the Soviet of Nationalities Expelled members of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Recipients of the Order of Friendship of Peoples Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour First Nagorno-Karabakh War Azerbaijani politicians Soviet politicians Soviet Armenians