Aktau remembers victims of Khojaly tragedy
Azerbaijan’s Consulate General in Aktau, Kazakhstan, is holding an art competition for children and young people.
The Consulate General told Trend that the competition, titled “We Want Justice”, has been organized as part of the “Justice for Khojaly” campaign, held under the supervision of Leyla Aliyeva, Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and general coordinator for intercultural dialogue at the Islamic Conference Youth Forum for Dialogue and Cooperation.
About 300 pupils of five art schools in Aktau and the surrounding areas are taking part in the art competition.
The competition jury includes members of Kazakhstan’s Union of Artists and Azerbaijan’s Consul General Elkhan Zeynalov.
A grand prize will be awarded for the best picture. Winners will also be awarded with diplomas, books and other prizes.
Khojaly, the second largest town in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, came under intense fire from the towns of Khankendi and Askeran already occupied by the Armenian armed forces in 1992.
613 civilians mostly women and children were killed in the massacre, and a total of 1,000 people were disabled. Eight families were exterminated, 25 children lost both parents, and 130 children lost one parent. Moreover, 1,275 innocent people were taken hostage, and the fate of 150 of them remains unknown.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
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