Turkey, Istanbul, Feb. 25 / Trend R. Hafizoglu /
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's statement was read out at a conference in Istanbul, dedicated to the 20th anniversary of Khojaly genocide.
"Killing innocent people in Khojaly is indeed a great tragedy," the statement said. "It is common grief of the entire Turkic world. I hope that such a genocide will never occur in the history. I express my condolences to the Azerbaijani people.
Armenian military forces committed genocide in Khojaly on Feb. 26, 1992. Some 613 people were killed, including 63 children, 106 women and 70 old men. A total of 1,000 civilians were disabled during the genocide. Eight families were annihilated, 130 children lost one parent, and 25 lost both. Additionally, 1,275 peaceful residents were taken hostage, while the fate of 150 remains unknown.