Turkey will not forget true culprits of Khojaly - ministry

BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb.26 Trend: Turkey will not forget true culprits of Khojaly tragedy in Azerbaijan, Trend reports with reference to Turkey’s Ministry of National Defense. The ministry said that Turkey honors the memory of citizens who were brutally murdered by Armenians 28 years ago in Khojaly town. “Saying ‘one nation, two states’, we will continue standing shoulder to shoulder with our Azerbaijani brothers and will not forget those who committed this massacre!” the ministry said. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. During the Karabakh war, on Feb. 25-26, 1992, the Armenian armed forces, together with the 366th infantry regiment of Soviet troops, stationed in Khankendi, committed an act of genocide against the population of the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly. As many as 613 people, including 63 children, 106 women and 70 old people were killed in the massacre. Eight families were totally exterminated, 130 children lost one parent and 25 children lost both. Some 1,275 innocent residents were taken hostage, while the fate of 150 people still remains unknown. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.