Khojaly genocide victims commemorated in Australia
By Trend
An event dedicated to the Khojaly genocide was held in Melbourne city of Australia.
Azerbaijan’s Honorary Consulate in Australia told Trend that the event organized by the Consulate was attended by Azerbaijanis living in Melbourne, public figures, media representatives and residents of the city.
Participants of the event first observed a minute of silence to honor the memory of the victims of the Khojaly genocide.
During the speeches, it was noted that the Khojaly genocide is one of the most terrible tragedies of the 20th century and the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is a major threat to the region.
It was also noted that Armenian nationalists continue their dirty deeds and increase the tension on the line of contact, violate the ceasefire regime regularly.
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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