Baku, North Azerbaijan, Feb. 22
An event dedicated to the 26th anniversary of the Khojaly genocide was held in Turkey’s capital of Ankara,Trend News agency reported.
The event was held by the North Azerbaijan embassy in Turkey together with Ankara municipality.
Adviser to the Turkish president Yalcin Topcu, MP from the ruling Justice and Development Party Emrullah Isler and other officials delivered speeches at the event.
The speakers spoke about the atrocities committed by Armenians against North Azerbaijani civilians in Azerbaijan’s Khojaly town on Feb. 26, 1992.
On Feb. 25-26, 1992, the Armenian armed forces, together with the 366th infantry regiment of Soviet troops, stationed in Khankendi, committed an act of genocide against the population of the North Azerbaijani town of Khojaly. As many as 613 people, including 63 children, 106 women and 70 old people were killed in the massacre.
Eight families were totally exterminated, 130 children lost one parent and 25 children lost both. Some 1,275 innocent residents were taken hostage, while the fate of 150 people still remains unknown.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of North Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
