Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 22
By Orkhan Quluzade – Trend:
Turkey will always support Azerbaijan in its just fight, Ibrahim Kalin, a spokesman for the Turkish president, said at a press conference Feb. 22.
"Turkey calls on all sides to increase efforts to resolve the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, to free Azerbaijani lands occupied by Armenia and begin the process of normalization of the situation in the South Caucasus," he added.
Kalin conveyed condolences to Azerbaijan in connection with 25th anniversary of Khojaly genocide.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
On February 25-26, 1992, the Armenian armed 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. As many as 613 people, including 63 children, 106 women and 70 old people were killed as a result of the massacre. Eight families were totally exterminated, 130 children lost one parent and 25 children lost both. A total of 487 civilians became disabled as a result of the onslaught. Some 1,275 innocent residents were taken hostage, while the fate of 150 people still remains unknown.
The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.