Conference dedicated to Khojaly tragedy held in Chisinau

Chisinau, 23 Feb. /MOLDPRES/- The National History Museum of Moldova hosted a conference dedicated to the 31st anniversary of the Khojaly tragedy. The event was organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Congress of Azerbaijanis in Moldova with the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, as part of the Justice for Khojaly international campaign.

The conference was attended by Azerbaijani parliamentarians, officials of the Republic of Moldova, public and political figures, representatives of diplomatic missions accredited in the Republic of Moldova and members of the Azeri diaspora.

Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Republic of Moldova Gudsi Osmanov spoke to the conference participants about the ethnic cleansing of the Azerbaijani people, emphasizing that "the Khojaly genocide was particularly brutal." The ambassador also spoke about the 44-day war, after which the territorial integrity of the country was restored.

Secretary General of the President's Office Andrei Spînu said that the policy of occupation is inadmissible in any country in the world, noting the importance of establishing peace in the region, in order to prevent the repetition of terrible and unimaginable events, such as the Khojaly tragedy.

Azerbaijani MP Soltan Mamedov addressed the conference participants about the consistent efforts of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation to convey the truth about the Khojaly tragedy to the world community. At the same time, the Azerbaijani deputy stated that the signing of a peace treaty between Azerbaijan and Armenia is on the agenda, and the policy pursued by Azerbaijan to establish peace and stability in the region meets the interests of all the peoples of the region.

Also, a photo exhibition dedicated to the tragedy in Khojaly was organized at the National History Museum of Moldova.

On the night of February 25/26, 1992, the Armenian military forces, with the help of armored vehicles and soldiers from the guard infantry regiment no. 366 stationed in the city of Stepanakert, they completely destroyed the city of Khojaly. The massacre resulted in the death of 613 Azerbaijanis, including 106 women, 63 children, and 70 elderly people. 1275 inhabitants were taken prisoners, and nothing is known about the fate of 150 people, even at the moment.