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Turkish defense minister expresses condolences over Khojaly tragedy

Türkiye Materials 26 February 2018 16:18 (UTC +04:00)
Turkish Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli expressed condolences Feb. 26 in connection with the Khojaly tragedy
Turkish defense minister expresses condolences over Khojaly tragedy

Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 26

By Rufiz Hafizoglu – Trend:

Turkish Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli expressed condolences Feb. 26 in connection with the Khojaly tragedy.

On his Twitter account, Canikli wrote that he shares the pain of fraternal Azerbaijani people.

On Feb. 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 in the massacre. Eight families were totally exterminated, 130 children lost one parent and 25 children lost both. Some 1,275 innocent residents were taken hostage, while the fate of 150 people still remains unknown.

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.

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.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu

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