Baku, March 29 (AZERTAC). Pakistan`s “Diplomatic Star” magazine has issued an article on the March 31 - Day of Genocide of Azerbaijanis titled “The bloody memories of 31st March, 1918”.

The article reads: “The Day of 31st of March, 1918 is commemorated in the Republic of Azerbaijan on a state level as the Day of Genocide of the Azerbaijanis. This is a manifestation of the national memory to the tragic events in the history of Azerbaijan during the last century. The massacres, repressions, mass deportation from their homelands are included to the black pages of the history of Azerbaijan in the 20th Century. Acts of the Armenian chauvinists, who had been crazy with the fantasy of “the Great Armenia” and had resorted to all kinds of means to achieve this aim, are clearly seen in this tragic history of the Azerbaijani people.

Gulustan and Turkmanchay treaties of 1813 and 1828 at the end of the first and second wars between Russia and Iran resulted in division of Azerbaijan. As a result, the northern part of Azerbaijan was included in the territory of Russia and the southern one in the territory of Iran.

Right after the Turkmanchay Treaty the Russian Emperor Nicholas I on March 21, 1828 declared the establishment of “Armenian Province” in the territory of Iravan and Nakhchivan khanates of Azerbaijan. Thereafter, in accordance with Turkmanchay Treaty, resettlement of Armenians from Iran to Iravan, Karabakh and Nakhchivan was carried out. The purpose of these resettlements was to force Azerbaijanisto leave their homelands. The historical sources show that 40,000 Armenians from Iran and 84,600 Armenians from Turkey had been resettled to the Caucasus during 1829-1930, and they had mostly been settled in Nakhchivan, Karabakh and Iravan”.

The article also covers the Khojaly tragedy committed by Armenians against innocent Azerbaijanis in February, 1992.

“Khojaly Genocide committed in 26 February, 1992 will remain in the memories of the people as a display of inadmissible and cruel policy of Armenian nationalists. At that night 613 people were killed with brutality. Among them: 63 children, 106 women, 70 elderly. 150 people were missing. The dead bodies were mutilated.

The Republic of Azerbaijan gained its independence on October 18, 1991and got a chance to evaluated the historical events taken place in Azerbaijan during the 20th century. On March 26, 1998, on the eve of the 80th anniversary of the March of 1918events , the acts committed by Armenian nationalists were given a political appraisal by special Decree signed by President of Azerbaijan Mr. Heydar Aliyev. This Decree was a first legal document testifying the genocide committed against the Azerbaijanis in 20 century,” the author adds.

The full text of the article is available at

http://www.diplomaticstar.com/magazine/31st-march-the-day-of-genocide-of-the-azerbaijanis.html.