Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

The students of the U.S Syracuse University have been informed about the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict emerged in 1988 over Yerevan's territorial claim against its South Caucasus neighbor.

The Syracuse University, based in Upstate New York, hosted an event dedicated to Azerbaijan on September 25, Consulate General of Azerbaijan in Los Angeles said.

The event was held at the University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, which is recognized as one of the world's best graduate schools of public affairs. Students and professors of the university attended the event.

Addressing the event, Consul General of Azerbaijan in Los Angeles Nasimi Aghayev highlighted the illegal military occupation of Azerbaijan's territories by Armenia, as well as the ethnic cleansing and war crimes carried out by Armenian army against Azerbaijani civilian population on the occupied territories.

Aghayev informed the attendees about the Khojaly massacre of 1992, which resulted in the brutal killing of hundreds of civilian Azerbaijanis, including many children, women, and elderly.

613 civilians mostly women and children were killed in the massacre, and a total of 1,000 people were disabled. Eight families were exterminated, 25 children lost both parents, and 130 children lost one parent. Moreover, 1,275 innocent people were taken hostage, and the fate of 150 of them remains unknown. Civilians were shot at close range, scalped, and burned alive. Some had their eyes gouged out and others were beheaded.

Aghayev further noted that as much as Armenia tries to deny the responsibility for this massacre, the facts speak for themselves and cannot be changed. In this regard, he mentioned the admission of culpability for this mass killing expressed by Armenia's current president Serj Sargsyan in an interview given in 2000 to the British expert Tom de Waal.

Aghayev said after all these confessions and facts, including an assessment by Human Rights Watch, it is ridiculous to deny the responsibility for the Khojaly massacre.

During the presentation, the Consul General also spoke about Azerbaijan's history, culture, its development as an independent nation, its oil strategy, relations with U.S., Europe and neighboring countries.

He also highlighted the long-standing traditions of ethnic and religious tolerance in Azerbaijan, noting that the Azerbaijani government is paying a special attention to strengthening these traditions.

The presentation was followed by a lively Q&A session, during which Aghayev responded to various questions from students and professors.