Azernews.Az

Azerbaijani lawmakers have come out against the dispersal in neighboring Iran of an event commemorating the 16th anniversary of the Khojaly massacre perpetrated by Armenian thugs against Azerbaijani civilians.
The Milli Majlis members demanded at a parliamentary session on Tuesday that Ambassador Nasser Hamidi Zare elaborate on the developments.
30 Azerbaijanis are said to have been arrested during the event, which was attended by the Azerbaijani ambassador Abbasali Hasanov.
Thousands of Azeri civilians were slain by the Armenian forces in the Khojaly district with the support of Russian troops on February 26, 1992. 613 people were brutally killed, including 106 women, 63 children and 70 elderly. 1,275 were taken captives, while 487 became handicapped and 150 went missing.
The leader of opposition Whole Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan, Gudrat Hasanguliyev, told parliament that Iranian authorities showed disrespect for the Azerbaijani people by breaking up the event dedicated to the Khojaly anniversary. He suggested that hearings be held at the parliamentary commission on international and inter-parliamentary relations and the Iranian envoy be invited.
Hasanguliyev offered further to raise the issue before the Organization for Islamic Conference (OIC) over what he called Iran's actions contradicting the spirit of good neighborliness and Islamic values. He also suggested seeing to the release of the detained Azerbaijanis.
"If bilateral attempts yield no fruit, our foreign ministry should seek support of the UN," the party leader said.
MP Ganira Pashayeva said the dispersal of the event was reprehensible. She said Tehran should not forget how sensitive the Khojaly issue is for Azerbaijan. She agreed that the move was disrespect for the memories of those who fell on that tragic day and the Azerbaijani people as a whole.
"Tehran raises uproar as soon as something minor concerning Iran happens here. But now the Iranian ambassador is treating the developments in a condescending manner instead of apologizing," she said.
Pashayeva said she was in favor of inviting the envoy to the legislature to give MPs the opportunity to air their grievances. "We have to explain to the ambassador that the Azerbaijani people demand respect."
Speaker Ogtay Asadov said the developments in question should be verified. He said the Foreign Ministry was responsible for summoning the ambassador if need be and vowed to clarify the matter.