Baku, Azerbaijan, March 4
Trend:
The U.S. Senate of the state of Indiana passed a resolution in connection with the 22nd anniversary of the Khojaly tragedy on March 3, the U.S. embassy in Azerbaijan said on March 4.
The document stressed the occupation of the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly by Armenian armed forces on February, 25-26, 1992 and the killing more than 600 civilians, including women and children.
The document also emphasised that despite resolutions of the UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council, the territory of Azerbaijan is still under Armenian occupation.
It was stressed that a copy of the resolution will be sent to the U.S. president, the Senate, the House of Representatives, the State Department and the U.S. embassy in Baku.
Indiana became the 15th U.S. state to recognise the genocide of Azerbaijanis in Khojaly.
It should be stressed that similar resolutions were passed by the legislative bodies of Texas, New Mexico, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania.
On February 25-26, 1992 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 1000 civilians were disabled during the genocide.
Eight families were totally exterminated, 130 children lost one parent and 25 children lost both.
Some 1275 innocent residents were taken hostages, while the fate of 150 people 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 percent 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 NH
Edited by SM