Azernews.Az

ANKARA – A slew of Turkish and Azerbaijani non-governmental organizations have vehemently protested at a program on Turkey-Armenia relations broadcast on Turkey’s TV state channel TRT on February 26, the anniversary of the Khojaly massacre committed by Armenian armed forces against Azerbaijanis in 1992.

Sinan Ogan, chairman of the Turkey-Azerbaijan Union, criticized the TRT executives in a letter, calling upon the broadcaster to relinquish "this irresponsible stance", according to Azerbaijan’s State Committee for Work with the Diaspora.

The International Diaspora Center and Azerbaijan National Forum of Non-Governmental Organizations also issued a statement condemning TRT’s "Pusula" program. It labeled the broadcast as a provocation and an overall "betrayal of Turkish-Azerbaijani relations".

Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a lengthy war that ended with the signing of a precarious cease-fire in 1994. Armenian armed forces have since occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno Karabakh, defying international calls and UN resolutions. During the invasion of the town of Khojaly, 5,379 people were ousted from their homes, 613 people were brutally killed, including 106 women and 63 children, 487 people were injured, and 1,275 were taken captives.

Turkey and Armenia have been at odds for decades due to the occupation of Azerbaijani territory and Armenian claims on 1915 "genocide". In late 2009, the two governments signed agreements to establish diplomatic relations. However, Turkey has assured Azerbaijan, its ally, that the protocols will not be ratified until progress is made in resolving the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict. In response, Yerevan suspended parliamentary approval of the accords in April 2010.