Azernews.Az

By Trend

A series of events was organized in Egypt by the Embassy of Azerbaijan and the Patriot union of diaspora organizations in connection with the 26th anniversary of the Khojaly genocide, the Embassy told Trend.

A commemorative event dedicated to the Khojaly genocide was held at the embassy in Cairo.

The event was attended by employees of the Embassy, Azerbaijanis living, studying and working in Cairo.

Addressing the event, Ambassador Tural Rzayev spoke about the genocide committed 26 years ago by Armenian militants and their patrons against the civilian population in Khojaly.

The first political assessment to the Khojaly genocide was given by national leader of the Azerbaijani people, Heydar Aliyev, he said.

Speaking about the existing dual standards in the world, the envoy stressed with regret that the criminals who committed the Khojaly genocide still remain unpunished.

Seymur Nasirov, head of the Azerbaijani diaspora in Egypt, advised the young people participating in the event to use the social networks more actively and to post materials about the important issues of the Azerbaijani people, including the Khojaly genocide.

He called for taking an active part in the “Justice for Khojaly” campaign initiated by Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva.

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.

On Feb. 25-26, 1992, the Armenian armed forces, together with the 366th infantry regiment of Soviet troops, stationed in Khankendi, committed an act of genocide against the population of the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly. As many as 613 people, including 63 children, 106 women and 70 old people were killed in the massacre. Eight families were totally exterminated, 130 children lost one parent and 25 children lost both. Some 1,275 innocent residents were taken hostage, while the fate of 150 people still remains unknown.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

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