Azerbaijan continues its policy of eradicating Armenian traces: Foreign Ministry on anniversary of Sumgayit pogroms
YEREVAN, February 27. /ARKA/. The Armenian Foreign Ministry issued a statement on the 36th anniversary of the Sumgayit pogroms.
"On February 27, 1988, at the initiative of the leadership of Soviet Azerbaijan and in conditions of absolute connivance, mass killings of the Armenian population of Sumgayit began, accompanied by violence, cruelty, enforced disappearances, deprivation of property and massive violations of human rights. Hundreds of Armenians were killed, including women, children and the elderly, and thousands of Armenians were forcibly displaced," the statement reads.
It says that the Sumgayit tragedy was followed by mass killings of Armenians in Kirovabad, Baku and other Armenian-populated areas of Azerbaijan.
It lso points out that already in the 21st century, in conditions of complete impunity, Azerbaijan continued the same policy of terror against the indigenous Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, establishing the inhumane blockade and starving ist population followed by the final depopulation of Nagorno-Karabakh through the use of force, ethnic cleansing, which was completed even in defiance of three legally binding decisions of the UN International Criminal Court.
"Even today, Azerbaijan continues its policy of eradicating Armenian traces in the territories under its control, desecrating, vandalizing and destroying Armenian religious and cultural-historical monuments. Even today, the ongoing xenophobic and hostile policy towards the Republic of Armenia is accompanied by hate speech, threats and high-level aggressive rhetoric, which is an obstacle to overcoming enmity between peoples and establishing peace and stability in the region," the Foreign Ministry states.
According to the statement, the international community should give an adequate assessment of the mass crimes that occurred and launch all available mechanisms to prevent the repetition of such crimes and contribute to Armenia's sincere efforts to achieve a dignified and lasting peace in the South Caucasus. -0-
