Baku, February 25 (AZERTAC). 20 years elapse since the act of the genocide committed on the February 26, 1992 in the city of Khojaly in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of the Republic of Azerbaijan. These mournful days the Azerbaijani people with deep respect honor the bright memory of the innocent people who became victims of atrocities of the aggressive Armenian nationalists.

The cruel massacre of the population in the city of Khojaly was organized intentionally - to smash our people which have risen on protection of the native land during military aggression, carried out for capture of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, and break its will to struggle. As a result of the monstrous criminal activity directed not only against the Azerbaijani people, but also against the entire mankind, 613 peaceful Azerbaijanis were brutally killed because of the national identity, 487 persons were crippled heavily, 1275 inhabitants were taken as hostages and subjected to inhuman tortures. The destiny of 150 hostages, including 68 women and 26 children, still is not known.

Character and scale of the crime made in the city of Khojaly confirm that this act of genocide completely corresponds to the definition stated in the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, accepted by Resolution of UN General Assembly dated December 9, 1948 No. 260 (III). By this planned act of mass and ruthless slaughter it was intended to destroy completely the people living in this territory just because they were Azerbaijanis. The brutal executioners scalped the people, cut off various parts of bodies, put out eyes of children, ripped up bellies of pregnant women, dug alive or burned them, and disfigured the corpses. To the people, attempting to flee from the burning city, they didn't give chance to go away and those who hid on roads and in woods the Armenian militants with special cruelty killed. As known, similar acts in the limited geographical zone was classified by the International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia as the genocide act.

Organizers of the Khojaly genocide which became a black stain on conscience of all mankind, were the political and state leaders of the Republic of Armenia, and the executors were units of the armed forces of Armenia, the Armenian terrorist bands in Nagorno Karabakh and the staff of 366th motor-rifle regiment of the former Soviet Army billeted in the city of Khankendi. As of today, investigating bodies of the Republic of Azerbaijan could establish names of 39 criminals. Investigation to the criminal case for revealing of other participants of the crime of genocide now continues.

The Khojaly tragedy became new bloody page of the policy of occupation, genocide and the ethnic cleaning pursued by aggressive Armenian nationalists against Azerbaijanis and Turks on Southern Caucasus and in Eastern Anatolia. Carried out stage-by-stage throughout the last two centuries, this policy has led to brutal murder of about 2 million innocent Azerbaijanis and Turks, to establishment after fall of imperial Russia on the primordial lands of Azerbaijan, that is in territory of the former Irevan Khanate (subsequently - Erivan Province), of the Republic of Armenia, and to additional annexation to this artificial state formation of the territory belonging to Azerbaijanis of the territory of 20,2 thousand square kilometers, the organization in Soviet period for Armenians in the territory of Azerbaijan of the so-called "Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region", deportation and exile in 1948-1953s and 1988-1993s from the Republic of Armenia and the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region of 1,5 million Azerbaijanis, occupation of 20 percent of territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan, that is the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven more adjacent regions of Azerbaijan - Lachin, Kalbajar, Agdam, Fizuli, Jabrail, Gubadli and Zangilan.

Only during the last aggressive war the armed forces of Armenia killed more than 18 thousand Azerbaijanis, wounded over 20 thousand civilians, and more than 50 thousand people were disabled. It was captured, taken as hostages 4750 people, including the missing. 877 cities, settlements and villages were destroyed, plundered and burned. In the territories occupied by the Armenian aggressors with special cruelty destroyed were many objects as historical and cultural heritage of Azerbaijan. Committing acts of vandalism in the occupied territories, the Armenians plundered and burned about 500 historical and more than 100 archaeological monuments, 22 museums and 4 art galleries, 9 palaces of historical value, profaned 44 temples and 9 mosques. In the destroyed and burned 927 libraries it was destroyed 4,6 million volumes of books and invaluable manuscripts.

The disasters which Azerbaijanis and Turks have undergone from the late XIX century have a lot of reasons. One of the initial reasons became aiding and abetting of some external forces to the Armenian nationalism for realization of the certain intentions in territory of Southern Caucasus and Eastern Anatolia and using it as a tool. The Armenian nationalists, having agreed with their role in dirty geopolitical games, wish to make true their idea of creation of the "Great Armenia" at the expense of the lands of the neighboring people what caused the tragedies continuing in region up to date. Throughout more than 100 years some generations of the Armenian people were brought up in the spirit of national exclusiveness, enmity to the Azerbaijani and Turkish peoples. The Armenian "scientists" forged the history of region, exaggerated and made older the history of Armenians, conducted campaigns of moral aggression against Azerbaijanis and Turks. The events occurring on Southern Caucasus and in the Eastern Anatolia, were deliberately distorted, in the eyes of world community it was created the image of "distressful and poor" Armenian people.

To justify territorial claims to the neighboring states, including to the Republic of Azerbaijan, use for this purpose the policy of occupation, genocide and ethnic cleanse, the Armenian nationalists refer to fabrications that ostensibly in 1915 the Armenians have undergone genocide. Thus, the aggressor and criminal, presenting itself as a victim of aggression and crime, try to mislead the international public. Unfortunately, the parliaments of separate states ignoring the Khojaly tragedy, getting in some cases under influence of false Armenian propagation, or from reasons of political conjuncture, have turned the myth about the "genocide of Armenians" into a theme of discussions and even have accepted on it unreasonable and unfair acts.

The organized resistance against the Armenian nationalism was developed after returning to the power of the national leader of the Azerbaijani people Heydar Aliyev. The Decree of the President of Azerbaijan dated March 26, 1998 "On the genocide of Azerbaijanis" promoted revealing of historical truth. In this important document for the first time in our history it was officially named the acts of mass slaughter - the genocides made against Azerbaijanis, disclosed roots of the policy of the ethnic enmity pursued against our people in Southern Caucasus. It was given political assessment to the insidious activity of the Armenian nationalists seeing the basic way of realization of their crazy idea of "great Armenia" in destruction and resettlement of Azerbaijanis who throughout all history were local people of these territories, in destruction of their historical and cultural monuments, renaming toponyms. According to the Decree, March 31, as a sign of respect for memory of the innocent people who became victims of evil deeds, made by the Armenian nationalists against our people throughout the last hundred years, it has been declared the Day of Genocide of Azerbaijanis.

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mr. Ilham Aliyev repeatedly addressed to the people in connection with the genocide of Azerbaijanis, regarding the Khojaly tragedy as one of the most cruel and ruthless acts of mass terror against humanity. According to the Order of the head of the state, this year it is being marked the 20th anniversary of the Khojaly genocide.

Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan has adopted special statements and references in connection with this question, asked the international organizations, parliaments and the governments of the countries of the world to recognize the crime as a genocide made by the Armenian nationalists and their patrons against Azerbaijanis in ХIX-XX centuries, to complete the work on creation of effective international legal mechanisms quicker that in the future similar crimes didn't remain unpunished, to assist to fair, peaceful settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh conflict not to allow new crimes of genocide concerning Azerbaijanis. On the basis of the decision of Milli Majlis dated February 24, 1994, February 26 was declared as the Day of Khojaly Genocide on what the international organizations were informed. Every year the work carried out with the organizational support of Heydar Aliyev Foundation in the framework of "Justice for Khojaly" campaign gets larger and larger.

The measures undertaken for recognition of the Khojaly genocide on global scale already yield results. In corresponding decisions of the Parliamentary Union of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, parliaments of Mexico and Pakistan have recognized the massacre made in Khojaly as an act of genocide.

The state carries out a number of measures on perpetuation of the memory of Khojaly victims. In the city of Baku, other cities and regions of our country there have been erected monuments in memory of the victims of Khojaly, the information on Khojaly tragedy was included in high school programs.

As known, with intermediary of the OSCE Minsk group the negotiations on peaceful settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is underway. Though the Armenian side attempts to show that wishes peace, it makes statements and actions complicating the resolution of conflict peacefully and also undertaking attempts on distribution in even greater number of world countries of the myth on the "genocide of Armenians".

One of the most urgent problems of the current period is escalating of efforts on suppression of propaganda campaign, which the Armenian nationalists and their patrons conduct internationally to hide the tragedies made against the Azerbaijani people, including the Khojaly genocide and to force to forget about them, to achieve recognition of the so-called "genocide of Armenians". Duties in this sphere lay down on each Member of Parliament.

Taking into account the above-stated, the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan resolves:

1. To reconfirm the assessment on the resolutions of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan dated February 24, 1994, on February 24, 1995 and on February 27, 2007 as a mass slaughter of the Azerbaijanis in the city of Khojaly over the night from 25th to 26th February 1992, carried out by military units of the Republic of Armenia, the Armenian armed formations in Nagorno Karabakh and 366th motor-rifle regiment of the former Soviet Army, as a genocide crime.

2. To charge to deputies of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan as a duty during visits to foreign countries, including during participation in actions of the international organizations, to provide wider distribution of the truth on the act of genocide the Azerbaijanis have undergone throughout the last hundred years, including about the Khojaly tragedy, and with that end to effectively use chances of the working groups of Parliament on relations with parliaments of foreign countries.

3. To recommend to law enforcement bodies of the Republic of Azerbaijan to strengthen the conducted measures on revealing of all persons participating in implementation of the act of genocide in the city of Khojaly, their bringing to criminal liability

4. To recommend to the corresponding state and non-state structures of the Republic of Azerbaijan, including the non-governmental organizations, to consolidate efforts on wider distribution of the information on the Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, exposure of false Armenian propaganda.

O.Asadov

Chairman of Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan

City of Baku, February 24, 2012.