ID :
103684
Sun, 01/31/2010 - 01:45
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/103684
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US AZERIS APPEAL TO BARACK OBAMA ON KHOJALY GENOCIDE
Baku, 30 January (AzerTAc). Azerbaijan`s community in the United States of America has issued an appeal to President Barack Obama in connection with the 18th anniversary of the Khojaly genocide.
In the message, the American Azerbaijanis ask the US President to “remember one of the bloodiest massacres of the past century and provide help to those in need”.
The message cites a 1992 report of Newsweek magazine:
“Azerbaijan was a charnel house again last week; a place of mourning refugees and dozens of mangles corpses dragged to a makeshift morgue behind the mosque. They were ordinary Azerbaijani men, women and children of Khojaly, a small village in war-torn Nagorno-Karabakh overrun by Armenian forces on February 25-26. Many were killed at close range while trying to flee; some had their faces mutilated, others were scaled. While the victims' families mourned. Over the night from 25 to 26 February 1992 the Khojaly town was subjected to the massive attack from the Armenian side. The unit of the Russian 366th infantry guards regiment took part in the attack. As a result, 613 persons died, 487 wounded, 1275 imprisoned, 150 persons are missing. The Khojaly events have radically changed the nature of the conflict - afterwards the military operations.”
The US Azerbaijanis also condemn the fact “the Khojaly genocide has not yet been given a due political assessment by the international community”.
“The fact Armenia continues to reject four UN Security Council resolutions demanding withdrawal of its armed forces from occupied territories of Azerbaijan is what impedes international efforts to ensure long-standing peace in the region.”
The message also stresses that although Armenia rejects the mass killings of Azerbaijanis, the fact was admitted by the Armenian President.
“Serzh Sargsyan, the then commander of the Armenian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh and current president of Armenia, admitted their committing the Khojaly massacre. He said: “Before Khojaly, the Azerbaijanis thought that they were joking with us, they thought that the Armenians were people who could not raise their hand against the civilian population. We were able to break that [stereotype].”
Along with President Obama, the appeal was sent to Vice-President Joe Biden, congressmen and government officials.
In the message, the American Azerbaijanis ask the US President to “remember one of the bloodiest massacres of the past century and provide help to those in need”.
The message cites a 1992 report of Newsweek magazine:
“Azerbaijan was a charnel house again last week; a place of mourning refugees and dozens of mangles corpses dragged to a makeshift morgue behind the mosque. They were ordinary Azerbaijani men, women and children of Khojaly, a small village in war-torn Nagorno-Karabakh overrun by Armenian forces on February 25-26. Many were killed at close range while trying to flee; some had their faces mutilated, others were scaled. While the victims' families mourned. Over the night from 25 to 26 February 1992 the Khojaly town was subjected to the massive attack from the Armenian side. The unit of the Russian 366th infantry guards regiment took part in the attack. As a result, 613 persons died, 487 wounded, 1275 imprisoned, 150 persons are missing. The Khojaly events have radically changed the nature of the conflict - afterwards the military operations.”
The US Azerbaijanis also condemn the fact “the Khojaly genocide has not yet been given a due political assessment by the international community”.
“The fact Armenia continues to reject four UN Security Council resolutions demanding withdrawal of its armed forces from occupied territories of Azerbaijan is what impedes international efforts to ensure long-standing peace in the region.”
The message also stresses that although Armenia rejects the mass killings of Azerbaijanis, the fact was admitted by the Armenian President.
“Serzh Sargsyan, the then commander of the Armenian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh and current president of Armenia, admitted their committing the Khojaly massacre. He said: “Before Khojaly, the Azerbaijanis thought that they were joking with us, they thought that the Armenians were people who could not raise their hand against the civilian population. We were able to break that [stereotype].”
Along with President Obama, the appeal was sent to Vice-President Joe Biden, congressmen and government officials.
