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Early Day Motions on Khojaly genocide presented at UK parliament

3 March 2016 12:32 (UTC+04:00)
Early Day Motions on Khojaly genocide presented at UK parliament

The UK parliament has put forward Early Day Motions on Khojaly genocide aimed at raising awareness of social and political circles of the country to the tragedy.

The author of one of the Early Day Motions is Chairman of All-Party Parliamentary Group on Azerbaijan Bob Blackman.

The document expresses sympathies to the Azerbaijani people, who are commemorating the 24th anniversary of the attack on the town of Khojaly by Armenian forces on February 26, 1992; and calls on the UK government to play a more active role in encouraging the peaceful settlement to the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan based on the resolutions and decisions of international organizations, in particular the UN Secretary Council resolutions.

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.

As many as 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 author of the second Early Day Motion is the UK Scottish National Party MP Patrick Grady. Other MPs also joined the motion.

Grady notes that UN Security Council resolutions, which call on the Armenian forces to end the occupation of Azerbaijan, remain unfulfilled, he is concerned about the recent escalation in tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan and calls on the UK government to use the anniversary of this tragedy as an opportunity to renew international efforts to find a lasting peaceful resolution to this long-standing conflict.

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