Azernews.Az

The first-ever monument to the victims of the Khojaly massacre perpetrated by Armenians in 1992 to be erected outside Azerbaijan will be unveiled in the Hague, Netherlands on Sunday. The monument, constructed in the Kamperfoeliestraat Park, is one of the biggest projects implemented by the Dutch-Azeri-Turkish Culture Association. The goal of the measure is to convey the realities about that tragic day to the Dutch and expatriate communities, the State Committee on Work with Azerbaijanis Living Abroad told AssA-Irada.
On February 26, 1992, Armenian forces attacked unarmed civilians in Khojaly with the support of the Russian troops. 613 people were brutally killed, while 1,275 taken captives, 487 became handicapped and 150 went missing.
The monument shows an image of a mother raising her baby above her head to protect it from Armenian thugs. The marble-made edifice, constructed with the support of the State Committee, is about two meters high. A large flower garden will be set up around the monument, which is located in a vast area rented for 30 years.
Representatives of the Azeri and Turkish Diasporas will attend the opening ceremony.
The Dutch-Azeri-Turkish Culture Association was established in 1991.
The 16th anniversary of the Khojaly tragedy, which is commemorated every year in many countries worldwide, will be marked in New York on Saturday. The event, to be organized in the city's Turkish center jointly by Azerbaijani and Turkish Diaspora organizations operating in the United States under the "Khojaly - destroyed city" motto, aims to provide the US community with broad information on Armenia's policy of aggression against Azerbaijan and the Khojaly genocide. The function will be held in the English language to attract broader audience.
A protest over the Khojaly genocide will be held outside the Armenian representation in the United Nations on February 26. The Azerbaijani Diaspora organizations will participate in the two-hour action.
Turkey's parliament may pass a document recognizing the Khojaly massacre as genocide soon. An appeal co-signed by political parties and non-governmental organizations operating in several Turkish cities has been forwarded to the legislature, an executive of the popular Nationalist Movement Party, Ogtay Aktas, told the Baku-based Lider TV channel.
"The tragedy experienced by friendly Azerbaijan, this insidious crime committed by Armenians, should be officially condemned in Turkey," he said.