Baku, February 26, AZERTAC

The international board and secretariat of the Eurasian Regional Center of the Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum (ICYF-ERC) issued a statement on 32nd anniversary of the Khojaly genocide, committed against Azerbaijani civilians during Armenia’s military aggression and occupation of the territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

In the statement, the ICYF-ERC underscores its support for the "Khojaly: Recognize to Reconcile" International Coalition, established during an international conference on “Reconciliation through Recognition: peacebuilding and transitional justice” held in the Italian Senate on March 1, 2022. The “Khojaly: Recognize to Reconcile” International Coalition consists of representatives of renowned human rights organizations, such as the Association Mothers of Srebrenica, Budapest Centre for Dialogue and Mass Atrocities Prevention, and the Italian Federation of Human Rights whose main objectives are to encourage Armenia to properly recognize the Khojaly massacre, offer a public apology to its victims, and facilitate direct dialogue between Azerbaijanis and Armenians to overcome memories of the conflict and together find ways to reconciliation and sustainable peace in the South Caucasus.

In the statement, the ICYF-ERC calls on Armenian leaders to acknowledge the genocide and extend a public apology to its victims, which would be an important step for reconciliation efforts, Armenian authorities to hand over all perpetrators of this crime to the Azerbaijani authorities as well as the international community to conduct a thorough legal assessment of the Khojaly genocide, recognizing it as genocide. “The ICYF-ERC solemnly commemorates and honors the innocent victims of the Khojaly genocide and shares its condolences with the people and Government of Azerbaijan,” noted in the statement.

The Indonesian National Youth Council, a member of ICYF, and the Indonesian OIC Youth Organization, one of the largest youth organizations in the country, issued a joint statement.