Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

Hungarian delegation of Gyongyos, the twin city of the occupied Azerbaijani town of Shusha, visited Azerbaijan.

The Hungarian delegation, headed by Mayor of Gyongyos Laszlo Farago, included local businessmen, cultural figures, and journalists.

The five-day visit featured a meeting with the leadership of the executive authorities of Shusha and famous citizens of the city.

The Hungarian delegation also got acquainted with the lifestyle of Shusha refugees, who are settled in different parts of Azerbaijan.

Shusha and Gyongyos signed a Memorandum of Understanding to become sister cities in May.

After signing the twin-city agreement, the leadership of Gyongyos faced strong pressure from the Armenian Diaspora in Hungary.

Work is currently underway to establish a permanent Shusha exhibition at the Gyongyos city museum. At the same time, discussions continue to explore opportunities to provide education for Shusha refugees at the Gyongyos Agrarian University.

Shusha, the cultural center and capital of the historical Karabakh Khanate, fell victim to the Armenian aggression on May 8, 1992, when 290 sq. km of Azerbaijan's territory was taken by the Armenian invaders.

As a result of the occupation of Shusha, 195 civilians were killed, 165 others wounded, 22,000 were displaced, and 68 were taken hostage by the Armenians. Their fate is unknown to this day.

Armenia occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions, after laying territorial claims against its South Caucasus neighbor that caused a lengthy war in the early 1990s.

The UN Security Council has adopted four resolutions calling for Armenia's withdrawal from the Azerbaijani territory, but they have not been enforced to this day.