March 1, 2006

“The Evening of Azerbaijani Music” is held in Cannes with organizational support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation

The night from 25 to 26 February 1992 was written with black letters in the history of Azerbaijani nation. Right 14 years ago Armenian occupants committed the Khojaly genocide before the eyes of the contemporary world. That night Armenian armed forces supported by the armored equipment and soldiers of the infantry regiment 366, majority of team and staff of which was consisted of Armenians, located in Khankendi in USSR time, destructed Khojaly city, massacred the local population.


Following Khatin, Liditsa, Oradur genocides, the Khojaly massacre is also the bloody event in the history of the universe. This next massacre committed by Armenian aggressors against Azeri people put an end to the life of 613 people, including 106 women, 63 children and 70 elderly. 1275 civilians were captured, fate of 150 is unknown so far.


As a result of this genocide a number of families were completely destroyed, civil population killed with unprecedented cruelty. People were killed by scalping, gouging out of eyes, hostages were brutally tortured.


By the international law, purposeful perpetration of those actions on the national motives to destroy the people completely or partly is genocide. This act of barbarism and vandalism committed by Armenian armed forces against civilians should be given the same assessment set to the tragedies considered as genocide.


Peace-loving people around the world, civil states, leading international organizations, international community should be aware of this bitter truth. This crime committed against the humanity must legally be evaluated, as according to the international law, the genocide is an act committed against peace and universe and considered the gravest international crime. Legal ground of the crime of genocide has been reaffirmed in the Convention, adopted by the resolution 260 (III) of December 9, 1948 of UN General Assembly that came into force in 1961, on prevention of crime of genocide and punishment of the guilty.


During the aggression of Armenia against Azerbaijan all the components of crime of genocide stated in that Convention have been performed. This invasive country has been conducting for long years the terrorist policy before the eyes of the world community, nevertheless the inviolability of the frontiers of the states must be respected according to the norms of international law, the UN and OSCE principles. Violation of territorial integrity and sovereignty is inaccessible. Even if UN Security Council has adopted 4 resolutions on the unconditional release of occupied Azerbaijani lands, occupant Armenia does not obey them still.


Indeed, the Khojaly genocide was continuation and bloody page of ethnic cleansing and genocide policy implemented over two centuries by Armenian nationalists and their supporters against Azerbaijanis. This disgusting policy caused numerous troubles to our people. The only thing Azerbaijanis want is to achieve the international legal and political assessment of the Khojaly tragedy, disclosure and punishment of its organizers, ideologists and implementers before the world community. This is also our human duty before the soul of the peaceful population killed in Khojaly. This, from another hand, is important condition to prevent perpetration of such cruel crimes against the humanity in future.


Khojaly inhabitants, dismissed from native lands and inhabited in 48 districts of Azerbaijan, live hoping for fair settlement of Daghlig Garabagh conflict, prevention of Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan, restoration of territorial integrity of the country. They expect from the nations, states and international organizations around the world to protect the justice, disapprove the genocide committed in Khojaly.


The crime must be punished otherwise it motivates the new ones. The history has proved this. Bloody events committed in 1905-1907, 1918 by Armenian armed forces and terrorist organizations against peaceful Azerbaijanis, terrorist acts against Turks in Turkey and different cities of Europe happened in near history.


Aiming at the policy `Greatest Armenia from the sea to the sea`, claiming for territory against the neighboring countries, affirming in its constitution the territorial claim against Turkey, official Yerevan misuses the indifference of international community.


We believe, the world community, first of all the brotherly people of Turkey that were by side of Azerbaijan in the hardest days will always honor the Khojaly genocide and disapprove this bloody crime, stain in the history of the universe, committed against the peaceful people.


The globalizing world is face to face with the truth: `Unpunished crime leads to another one`.

 

Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva,


President of Heydar Aliyev Foundation,


Goodwill Ambassador of UNESCO,


Member of Parliament,


Member of the Parliament Azerbaijan-Turkey Friendship Group.