Statement of the Embassy of Azerbaijan to the State of Qatar on the 100th Anniversary of Genocide against Azerbaijanis

STATEMENT

of the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the State of Qatar

On the 100th anniversary of Genocide against Azerbaijanis

The genocide and purposeful deportation policy of Armenian nationalists and their supporters against the Azerbaijanis conducted over XIX-XX centuries was engraved in the Azerbaijani history as sorrowful pages.

From the beginning of XIX c., thousands of Armenian families were moved from Iran and Turkey onto historical territories of Azerbaijan such as Karabakh, Nakhchivan, Zengezur, also Iravan and other provinces. The purpose of genocide, ethnic cleansing and deportation policy of the Armenian nationalists and their supporters against the Azerbaijanis, lasted over two centuries, was banishing them from their historical native lands and establishing “Great Armenia” state on those territories.

Azerbaijani population was repeatedly subjected to the gross human rights violations, ethnic cleansing and deportation accompanied by inhuman and degrading treatment by Armenian nationalists (in 1905-1907, 1918-1920, 1948-1953, 1988-1993).

The most horrible one of such tragedies against the Azerbaijanis is the genocide committed 100 years ago, on March 31, 1918, and it differs for its severe atrocities. Thus, the Armenians masterly used the February and October Revolutions of 1917 in Russia and managed to realize their outrages claims under the bolsheviks’ flag.

Since March of 1918, thousands of the Azerbaijani civilians have been killed on the ground of their nationality; people were burned alive; rare historical monuments, schools, hospitals, mosques were ruined.

The massacres committed by the Armenian-Bolshevik forces in Baku gained mass scale on March 31 and on April 1-2, 1918, and innocent civilians were killed mercilessly. During that genocide, 30 000 persons in Baku and in surrounding villages have been brutally murdered on the ground of nationality. During that period, the Armenians scattered shelling many old buildings, including Ismailliyya building, which is one of the pearls of the world architecture; the minarets of Juma and Tazapir mosques were severely damaged.

The acts of genocide of the Azerbaijanis were mainly committed in Baku, Shamakhi, Guba, Kurdamir, Salyan, Karabakh, Zangezur, Nakhchivan and Lankaran provinces with special cruelty. During March events, 75 villages of Shamakhi were totally destroyed, 7,000 persons were annihilated. In Guba province these bloody events also occurred in the same manner, the Armenian armed groups burned 122 villages, killed innocent people including women and children. About 40 villages were destroyed in Lankaran province, hundreds of innocent people were killed, and numerous houses were destructed and burned.

In general, in that period, hundreds of thousands of our compatriots were massacred in Azerbaijan. In spite of years passed those bloody events were not forgotten and they left indelible impressions in memory of our people. 

This should be noted that by the Decree signed by President Heydar Aliyev “On the Genocide of the Azerbaijani people” dated March 26, 1998, provided political recognition to these events and for the first time was officially declared the fact of genocide against the Azerbaijanis committed by the Armenians. Besides, March 31 is annually commemorated as a Day of Genocide of the Azerbaijanis at the state level.

As a result of the next aggression policy started since 1988, Armenia occupied Nagorno-Karabakh which is an integral part of Azerbaijan, as well as seven surrounding rayons, thus 20 percent of the country territories were occupied, one million of Azerbaijanis became refugees and IDPs, their rights were grossly violated. In the course of this occupation, the Armenian nationalists and terrorists committed genocides in Khojaly city, Karkichahan, Malibeyli, Gushchular, Garadagli, Agdaban villages and in other settlements of Azerbaijan.

All these happen before the eyes of world community that reached the high level of cultural, economic development. We state with confidence that, as long as legal-political assessment is not given to acts of vandalism, separatism, nationalism and terrorism, all the humanity will be in danger.

At the international level this genocide has not been yet given legal assessment. We call international organizations to support the just position of Azerbaijan without double standards and we believe that justice will be restored soon, this violent crime committed against the humanity will be given international legal assessment as an act of genocide, perpetrators will be punished, the  territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and severely violated rights of one million refugees and IDPs will be restored and captives and hostages will be released.