Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb.20
Trend:
Germany will host a series of events dedicated to the 22nd anniversary of the Khojaly genocide.
Member of Milli Majlis (parliament) of Azerbaijan Azay Guliyev will be on a visit to Berlin on Feb.20-23 to attend the events, Council of State Support to Non-Governmental Organizations under the president of Azerbaijan said on Feb.20.
During the visit, the Azerbaijani MP will hold meetings at the Bundestag, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. The expanding of ties between Azerbaijani and German NGOs as well as implementation of projects financed by the Council of State Support to NGOs under the president of Azerbaijan will be discussed.
On February 25-26, 1992 the Armenian occupation 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. Some 613 people were killed, including 63 children, 106 women and 70 old people. A total of 1,000 civilians were disabled during the genocide. Eight families were totally exterminated, 130 children lost one parent and 25 children lost both. Some 1,275 innocent residents were taken hostages, while the fate of 150 remains unknown.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the U.S. are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
Translated by L.Z.
Edited by C.N.