Azernews.Az

A common statement of the White House on the Khojaly genocide indicates lack of concrete position of the U.S. on this matter, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Elman Abdullayev told Trend news agency over the phone from Istanbul on Tuesday.

"This statement indicates that the U.S. does not have concrete position on the Khojaly genocide and it remains indifferent to the crimes committed against humanity," Abdullayev said.

He said that at the same time in all its statements the U.S. asserts that Azerbaijan is its strategic partner.

On Feb. 25-26 February, 1992, Armenian occupation forces together with the 366th infantry regiment of Soviet troops stationed in Khankendi (earlier Stepanakert) committed an act of genocide towards the population of Azerbaijani Khojaly town.

Some 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 killed, 130 children lost one parent and 25 lost both. Additionally, 1,275 innocent 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 percent 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 Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.