Today.Az » Politics » Monument to Khojaly genocide victims uncurtained in Ankara
27 February 2014 [11:58] - Today.Az
Khojaly martyrs' monument was opened on the 22nd anniversary of the Khojaly genocide in Turkey`s capital Ankara on Feb. 26.
Chairman of the Turkish Parliament, Cemil Chichek, Azerbaijan`s ambassador to Turkey Faig Bagirov and a number of MPs attended the opening ceremony, "TRT Haber" reported.
Chichek noted that Azerbaijan and Turkey is not only 'one nation with two states', but also two sons of a mother.
Chichek further noted that it is impossible to be indifferent to the Khojaly tragedy. "The person who is indifferent to the Khojaly tragedy is not one of us. It is a crime committed against humanity."
On February 25-26, 1992 Armenian occupation forces together with the 366th infantry regiment of Soviet troops stationed in Khankendi committed an act of genocide against the population of the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly. Some 613 people were killed, including 63 children, 106 women and 70 old people. A total of 1000 civilians were disabled during the genocide.Eight families were totally exterminated, 130 children lost one parent and 25 children lost both. Some 1,275 innocent residents were taken hostages, while the fate of 150 people 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 the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
/Trend/
|
|
