Turks and Azerbaijanis both in Turkey and abroad have commemorated the 22nd anniversary of the Khojaly massacre, considered by Azerbaijanis to be one of the most tragic incidents in their recent history.
After the breakup of the Soviet Union, the Nagorno-Karabakh War was fought between Azerbaijan and its ethnic Armenians, backed by the newly established Republic of Armenia. The Khojaly massacre took place as Armenian forces gained control of Nagorno-Karabakh, a predominantly ethnic Armenian territory in Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent Azeri-populated provinces.
The region, which has declared independence but has received almost no international recognition, has an almost entirely ethnic Armenian population as a result of ethnic Azeris being expelled during the bloody conflict. Both peoples in the intractable dispute consider the area to be an integral part of their territory.
The war, which resulted in about 30,000 casualties, ended when a truce was signed in 1994, but a peace treaty has yet to be signed and violence still flares up sporadically along the cease-fire line between the opposing forces. Azerbaijan and Armenia do not maintain any diplomatic ties.
“The Khojaly massacre is, according to principles of international law, a genocide,” said Aykhan Süleymanov, Azerbaijan's consul general in the northeastern Turkish city of Kars on Sunday. He added that “Armenia should be committed to fulfilling its obligations based on international agreements, the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan should be respected, Azerbaijani hostages and captives should be released, refugees should be able to reclaim their human rights which were violated and internally displaced persons should be allowed to return to their homeland.”
One of the biggest rallies so far this year in Turkey took place in İstanbul's Şişli district on Sunday when a large group of people marched to Taksim Square with banners and slogans supporting Azerbaijan and recognition for Khojaly. Turks and Azerbaijanis around the world also staged rallies to remember the victims. To mark the 22nd anniversary of the massacre, locals along with Azerbaijanis living in France came together in front of the Wall for Peace near the Eiffel Tower in the French capital. Leaving a wreath of red flowers, the demonstrators recounted what happened that night with books and pictures.
Jean Perrin, a retired ambassador who served as a French envoy to Azerbaijan in 1992, the year of the massacre, said that he still cannot forget the day he visited survivors at a hospital. "Upon hearing about the massacre we went to hospitals and I saw the citizens of Azerbaijan who were shot on their own territory. I still cannot forget what I saw there. It is impossible to forget."
Speaking at the same event, Elçin Amirbayov, Azerbaijan's ambassador to France, emphasized the pain of the Khojaly people and urged the French authorities to recognize the Khojaly massacre.
According to the Azerbaijani authorities, 613 civilians were killed in the night of Feb. 25-26,1992, in Khojaly. The incident is still one of the most painful memories for Azerbaijanis in a troubled recent history of war with neighboring Armenia.
For more than two decades, both sides have tried to find a solution to the conflict, with the support of the international community. Neither side being willing to compromise has ensured that the situation is yet to be resolved, and no end is yet in sight for the protracted Nagorno-Karabakh troubles.
Elman Mammadov from Khojaly, a veteran of the Nagorno-Karabakh War and a deputy in the Azerbaijani Parliament, spoke to Today's Zaman to urge the international community to be more responsive to “the pain of the Khojaly people.”
“The people of Khojaly want their territories to be freed from the occupation; they wish to return to their homeland and this wish will always be with us. We will do our best to make our wish come true,” Mammadov said.
He added that the people of Khojaly have urged for demonstrations and rallies to mark what they call “a bloody night” to raise the awareness of the international community, which they feel has not paid sufficient attention to the tragic events.
“That night should not be left unnoticed and the leaders who are guilty of the massacre, such as [incumbent Armenian President Serzh] Sarksyan and [former Armenian President Robert] Kocharyan should be punished -- this is what we want from international organizations,” Mammadov said.
Requesting that the Khojaly massacre be recognized internationally, Mammadov called on the Armenian government “to be more proactive to further the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.”
ANN.Az
