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Turkish Embassy in Baku commemorates victims of Khojaly genocide (UPDATE) (PHOTO)

Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict Materials 22 February 2013 18:34 (UTC +04:00)
An event is underway in the Turkish Embassy in Azerbaijan in connection with the 21st anniversary of the Khojaly genocide on Friday.
Turkish Embassy in Baku commemorates victims of Khojaly genocide (UPDATE) (PHOTO)

Details added (the first version published at 18:06)

Azerbaijan, Baku, Feb.22 / Trend, I. Izzet /

An event is underway in the Turkish Embassy in Azerbaijan in connection with the 21st anniversary of the Khojaly genocide on Friday.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is the most important problem in the region, Turkish Ambassador to Azerbaijan Ismail Alper Coskun said.

"The resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh problem is just as important for Turkey, as it is for Azerbaijan. It is a problem of the same importance as the Cyprus issue," he said.

According to Ismail Alper Coskun, the most brutal crime during the entire duration of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict took place in Khojaly.

According to the Ambassador, events dedicated to the Khojaly genocide are widely held in Turkey.

"We have only one way - developing, strengthening and proving that we are not worse than others. The struggle over the recognition of the Khojaly Genocide should be carried out comprehensively. All work, which will be conducted in connection with Khojaly genocide, is under the ideological control of the state," deputy of Milli Majlis (Azerbaijani Parliament), head of the working group on inter-parliamentary relations between Azerbaijan and Turkey Nizami Jafarov said in his speech.

"It would be better if Turkey takes a tougher stance on this issue, because Turkey has become a country whose opinion is weighed by the rest of the world," the deputy said.

A documentary film "Hayellerim vardı ...", shot by Turkish TRT TV channel was shown at the event.

The event is being attended by head of Azerbaijani Presidential Administration's Social and Political Department Ali Hasanov, MPs as well as representatives of the Azerbaijani community.
On Feb. 25-26 February, 1992, Armenian occupation forces together with the 366th infantry regiment of Soviet troops stationed in Khankendi (previously called Stepanakert) committed an act of genocide towards the population of the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly.

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 killed, 130 children lost one parent and 25 lost both. Additionally, 1275 innocent residents were taken hostage, while the fate of 150 remains unknown.

The parliaments of six countries have adopted decisions to recognize the Khojaly massacre.

A petition for the recognition of the Khojaly tragedy which was published on the official White House website has received the required 100.000 voices.

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