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"Armenia, which was patronized by the ruling circles of the Soviet Union, carried out an aggressive policy against Azerbaijan in 1988-1991,” she said. “As a result, civilians were killed, settlements were destroyed and plundered. On September 18, 1988, about 15,000 Azerbaijanis living in Azerbaijan’s Khankendi city, were forcibly expelled from the city and their houses were burned.”

“As a result of ethnic cleansing during this period, about 250,000 Azerbaijanis from 185 Azerbaijani villages in Armenia were subjected to aggression and were forcibly expelled from their native lands,” she added. “As a result of the Khojaly genocide committed by the Armenian armed forces on the night of Feb. 25-26, 1992, 613 civilians were killed, among whom were children, women and the elderly.”

She noted that as a result of Armenia’s aggression policy, more than one million Azerbaijanis became refugees and IDPs.

“We recommend that the Armenian speaker before making statements once again pay attention to the well-known historical events, to their sad consequences and make statements not for stirring up hatred between nations, but for peace, progress and future development in the region,” she noted.

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 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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