Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

Azerbaijan is exerting a great effort in its quest to have the Khojaly genocide recognized by the international community, spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Elman Abdullayev said at a briefing on Friday.

"We have witnessed the expansion of efforts towards the recognition of the Khojaly genocide by the world community," he said. "Yerevan is trying to hide its involvement in the Khojaly tragedy. But today great efforts are being exerted to get the genocide recognized by the world community."

He said that Armenia itself is well aware that it will fail to escape responsibility for these acts, genocide, which killed hundreds of Azerbaijani civilians.

"The resolutions on the recognition adopted in the state of Arkansas and the Romanian Parliament demonstrate that the international community has begun to understand the situation," he said. "The Foreign Ministry will continue exerting its efforts until the international community gives political and legal assessment of Khojaly events."

Abdullayev said the number of countries recognizing the Khojaly genocide is increasing. "There is no doubt that their number will continue to increase. Perpetrators of this tragedy against humanity will respond to Azerbaijan and the world community and this is one of directions of Baku's foreign policy."

Arkansas recently became the latest U.S. state to recognize the Khojaly genocide committed against Azerbaijanis by Armenians during the 1990s war. Following the House of Representatives, the Arkansas Senate labeled the Khojaly massacre as an act of genocide.

Arkansas is the second state after New Mexico where both houses of parliament have adopted resolutions recognizing the Khojaly tragedy.

The U.S. states of Texas, New Jersey, Georgia and Maine have also recognized the Khojaly genocide.

Besides, the Romanian Democratic Liberal Party's parliament group has issued a statement on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict condemning the Khojaly genocide.

Moreover, the parliaments of Turkey, Pakistan, Mexico and Columbia have recognized the Khojaly massacre as genocide.

The Czech Republic becomes the first EU country that has officially condemned Armenia for the massacre of Azerbaijani civilians in Khojaly, and has recognized this as a crime against humanity.

The Foreign Relations Committee of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic unanimously adopted a document condemning Armenia for the Khojaly genocide.

"It was a crime against humanity condemned by numerous governments around the world," the document reads.

The Azerbaijani government, youth organizations and the Azerbaijani diaspora in foreign countries continue their efforts to bring into the consideration of world community the realities about the gruesome massacre committed by Armenian vandals towards the innocent Azerbaijani people in Khojaly town.

For that reason Azerbaijan- America Alliance has launched a new campaign towards introducing Khojaly genocide to the world community.

The public awareness campaign will last for several weeks and be seen by millions of Americans.

Also, the conferences marking the 21st anniversary of the Khojaly genocide were arranged in Kars and Igdır cities of Turkey.

The conference held in Kars saw speeches by MP Aydin Mirzazade, Azerbaijan`s consul general Aykhan Suleymanov, Turkish MPs Sinan Ogun, Professor Yusuf Halacoglu and Kars Mayor Nevzat Bozkus. The speakers highlighted history and consequences of the Khojaly tragedy, as well as atrocities by Armenians committed in Igdır and Van.

Another conference attended by Azerbaijani parliamentarians Ganira Pashayeva and Aydin Mirzazade was held in Igdır.

The speakers spoke of the Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan, especially Khojaly massacre, and expressed gratitude to their Turkish counterparts for the support.

The event featured a photo exhibition on the massacre. The aim of the photo exhibition is to increase the Turkish society`s awareness on the Khojaly genocide, the biggest war crime in ex-USSR in the second part of the 20th century, committed by the Armenian armed forces.

Besides, the representatives of the Azerbaijani and Turkish diasporas in the Netherlands will organize a commemorative event marking the 21st anniversary of the Khojaly genocide in Hague, which hosts the international organizations such as the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court of UN.

The event will take place near a Khojaly monument on February 24. The Dutch state and government officials, as well as local and Turkish journalists will attend the event.

On February 26, a rally will be organized in Hague, during which participants will walk from the Peace Palace to the Embassy of Armenia.

Besides, the Azerbaijanis living in Sweden will gather on Mynttorget, one of the central squares of the capital Stockholm, to hold a rally over the 21st anniversary of the Khojaly massacre committed by Armenian armed forces against Azerbaijani civilians during the 1990s war.

The rally will be held in front of the building of the Swedish parliament Riksdag.

The document and a video file showing atrocities committed against Azerbaijani civilians will be sent to the Riksdag members and leaders of political parties.

Furthermore, the Azerbaijani embassy in Germany and the "Azerbaijan-Germany" Friendship Society will hold a campaign in memory of the Khojaly genocide victims.

Besides, a literary event "Karabakh - stories about the lost motherland" dedicated to the 21st anniversary of the Khojaly genocide will take place in Berlin on February 25.

The Azerbaijani Society of Belgium and the Forum of Azerbaijani Students will hold a procession-rally under the slogan "Justice for Khojaly" in Brussels at 16:00 on February 26.

The procession will start from the building of the Armenian Embassy in Brussels and finish in front of the European Commission.

During the procession, Azerbaijanis living in Belgium will hand out T-shirts with images displaying Armenian terrorism. Some 500 booklets about the Khojaly tragedy in English and French will be spread to city population.

The procession is officially authorized by Brussels police department, which will accompany the participants throughout the procession.

The rally will be completed by reading out an appeal to the European Parliament and the EU.

Moreover, the Khojaly genocide's 21st anniversary will be marked in Israel, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and etc.

Besides, the Azerbaijani Ombudsman Elmira Suleymanova sent a statement to the international organizations in connection with the anniversary of Khojaly genocide, which requires the bringing of the Armenian terrorists who committed the Khojaly Massacre, and their supporters to justice.

The statement said that the international organizations, withdrawing double standards must intensify efforts aimed at solving conflict in accordance with the norms and principles of international law, the competent international organizations must recognize this tragedy as a genocide and the sanctions should be imposed on Armenia.

Invader country must abandon the territorial claims and comply with the provisions of the adopted international instruments, the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan must be restored, Azerbaijani captives and hostages must be released, refugees and internally displaced persons should return their native lands, the statement said.

Commemoration of genocide

The Action Plan over the 21st anniversary of the Khojaly genocide has been approved in accordance with an order of the head of the Presidential Administration of Azerbaijan.

The action plan includes the laying of a wreath to the monument to the Khojaly genocide victims in the Khatai district of the Azerbaijani capital Baku, and in Nafatalan city; holding press conferences, commemorative ceremonies, etc. in embassies, representative offices and diaspora organizations of Azerbaijan; publishing materials in foreign media and broadcasting TV and radio programs devoted to the Khojaly genocide.

According to the document, commemoration events, photo exhibitions, meetings with eyewitnesses of the tragedy will be held in the institutions and organizations, exhibition halls, secondary and higher educational institutions; documentaries and feature films dedicated to the fight for national freedom will be screened.

With the participation of heads of government agencies, members of parliament and representatives of the intelligentsia, assistance will be provided to the people who hail from Khojaly and families of the martyrs, who are settled across Azerbaijan, including Baku, Ganja and Sumgayit, the country's largest cities, as well as in a number of the country's regions.

On the eve of the Khojaly anniversary materials about the genocide will be posted on the Internet. The media will extensively cover the tragic events of February 1992.

On February 25, the first lessons in educational institutions will be devoted to the tragedy, and on February 26 at 5 p.m. the victims of Khojaly genocide will be commemorated with a moment of silence throughout the country.

The Khojaly massacre is one of the most heinous and bloodiest events of the 20th century. Late into the night of February 25, 1992, the town of Khojaly came under intensive fire from the town of Khankendi and Askeran already occupied by Armenian armed forces. At night the Armenian forces supported by the ex-Soviet 366th regiment completed the surrounding of the town already isolated due to ethnic cleansing of the Azerbaijani population of the neighboring regions. The joint forces occupied the town, which was ruined by heavy artillery shelling.

Thousands of fleeing civilians were ambushed by Armenian forces. Punitive teams of the so-called NK defense army reached the unprotected civilians to slaughter them, mutilating and scalping some bodies. In just a few hours, 613 civilians were killed, including 106 women, 70 elderly and 83 children. A total of 1,000 civilians were disabled. 56 people were killed with outrageous brutality, eight families were totally exterminated, and 25 children lost both parents, while 130 children lost at least one parent, in what became the most brutal punishment of civilians during the three years of the conflict's military phase. Moreover, 1,275 innocent people were taken hostage, while the fate of 150 remains unknown.