Azerbaijan, Baku, March 8 / Trend /
The Azerbaijani government has demanded the UN to end impunity of Armenia for grave crimes committed against Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijani Permanent Representative to the UN, Agshin Mehdiyev has sent a memorandum entitled "Crime in Khojaly: guilty persons, qualification of actions and responsibility under international law" to the organization's Secretary General.
By presenting this memorandum, the Azerbaijani government requests the Secretary General and the member states of the United Nations to support the efforts made by his country to put an end to impunity for grave crimes committed during the aggression of Armenia against Azerbaijan, UN Information Center said.
"The serious violation of international law, such as war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide were committed as a result of the ongoing aggression of Armenia against Azerbaijan. An unprecedented massacre of the Azerbaijani population in Khojaly town was committed twenty-one years ago," the letter says.
On Feb.25-26 February, 1992, Armenian occupation forces, together with the 366th infantry regiment of Soviet troops stationed in Khankendi (previously 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.
"Obviously, the impunity of these crimes continues to impede the achievement of the long-expected peace and reconciliation between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Therefore, establishing the facts of serious violations of international humanitarian law and human rights that took place during the conflict, providing adequate and real compensation to the affected people and taking necessary institutional measures to prevent the recurrence of such violations are essential conditions for genuine resolution of the conflict," the letter says.
Azerbaijani Permanent Representative to the UN, Agshin Mehdiyev said that accordingly, ending impunity is important not only for establishing the responsibility of the conflicting parties and the concrete perpetrators, which is an absolute imperative, but also for ensuring a lasting peace, establishing the truth, reconciliation, meeting human rights and interests of victims and the welfare of society as a whole.