Armenian president dissembles occupation of Azerbaijani lands - official
The Armenian president is speaking about the 21st century, and trying to look like a civilized, modern person, but he does not speak about the occupation of his neighboring country's lands and the exile of a million refugees, spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Elman Abdullayev said at a briefing on Tuesday.
He was commenting on Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan's statement that one can not keep a country blockaded in the 21st century.
"Yerevan, and the Armenian Diaspora, which always want to seem innocent, must not forget that the crimes, committed in Khojaly, will not remain unpunished," Abdullayev said.
He added that the Armenian president makes populist statements and speaks about modernism, but fails to answer simple questions about how one million people's rights may have been violated.
Armenian military forces committed genocide in Khojaly on Feb. 26, 1992. 613 people were killed, including 63 children, 106 women and 70 old men. A total of 1,000 civilians were disabled during the genocide. Eight families were annihilated, 130 children lost one parent, and 25 lost both. Additionally, 1,275 peaceful residents were taken hostage, while the fate of 150 remains unknown.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France and the U.S. - are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.