(MENAFN- AzerNews) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a statement on March31 - Day of Genocide of Azerbaijanis, Azernews reports citing the ministry .
The statement reads as follows:
31 March - Day of Genocide of Azerbaijanis, is a day ofcommemoration of our innocent compatriots, who became victims ofracial discrimination and intolerance by radical Armenian groups,and were subjected to systematic ethnic cleansing and genocide.
In March-April 1918, using all available means for ethniccleansing of Azerbaijanis from their ancestral territoriesthroughout history, radical Armenians committed savage atrocitiesagainst our compatriots. Tens of thousands of Azerbaijanis livingin Baku, Shamakhi, Guba, Garabagh, Zangazur, Nakhchivan, Lankaran,and other regions were brutally murdered, and numerous settlements,religious and cultural monuments were destroyed. As a result ofmassacres, more than 16,000 people were brutally killed and 167villages were razed in Guba alone.
Massive atrocities committed against civilians, mass graves ofthe victims of the massacre found in Guba region in 2007,confession of Stephan Shaumyan, Extraordinary Commissioner of theCaucasus, an ethnic Armenian, that 6,000 armed soldiers of the BakuSoviet and 4,000 armed soldiers of the Dashnaksutyun Party tookpart in the massacres, razed settlements, and cultural monumentsrevealed the exact nature of the massacres.
Following the foundation of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic(ADR), the Extraordinary Investigation Commission was establishedto investigate the March events and to bring criminals to justice on the evidence revealed by the Commission, criminalproceedings were filed against 194 persons accused of crimescommitted, 24 persons were arrested in Baku and about 100 inShamakhi. However, the collapse of the ADR interrupted the processof conducting an in-depth investigation into the events occurred,as well as the political and legal assessment of the Marchmassacres.
Only after the restoration of our independence, March eventswere given an adequate political assessment with the Decree of theNational Leader Heydar Aliyev“On the Genocide of Azerbaijanis”dated March 26, 1998, and 31 March was declared“Day of Genocide ofAzerbaijanis.”
Mass deportation of Azerbaijanis from Armenia, ethnic cleansingand genocide crimes committed during the military aggression andoccupation of this country against Azerbaijan, war crimes againstcivilians living far from the territories where military operationswere conducted during the 44-day Patriotic War demonstrated thatthe policy of systematic ethnic hatred and intolerance towardsAzerbaijanis is still in place.
Learning from history, preventing the recurrence of suchhorrible events, and putting an end to impunity of criminals arecritical for seizing the opportunities emerged for peace in theregion at the current post-conflict period. In this sense,preventing the rise of revanchism in Armenia significantly dependson the international community, along with the leadership of thiscountry.
On 31 March - Day of Genocide of Azerbaijanis, we commemoratewith deep grief and respect the memory of innocent Azerbaijanis whowere subjected to ethnic hatred and genocide.
MENAFN31032024000195011045ID1108040393
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.