Every year the world community, the progressive humanity mark the "Holocaust and Heroism Day" of the Jewish people. During the WW II, a whole nation was undergone the policy of genocide, six million of civilians, including the old, women, children were massacred by fascists with special brutality as they were Jews.

In 1943, uprising of the Warsaw Ghetto that is the symbol of Jewish courageous resistance against fascism, ethnic-religious discrimination also entered the history as a sample the heroic struggle of the Jewish people for its national and human dignity.

Though the Holocost was given the right political-legal assessment in time, unfortunately, similar anti-humane actions proceed even today. Therefore, all the progressive forces should be mobilized against the fascism, racism, national-religious discrimination, terrorism and any form of act of genocide.

Since 1988, the policy of genocide against the people of Azerbaijan pursued by the Armenian aggressors, mass slaughter of innocent people, plunders at our occupied lands and vandalism occur in the eyes of world community. The Khojaly genocide that is a bloody page of our history committed twelve years ago, on scale of its unprecedented Armenian atrocities stands in a line with the massacres caused in Babi Yar in Kiev, Warsaw and Krakow ghettoes. Irrespective of the country and continent, such terrible action is not the national tragedy of only one people and one state, these are crimes committed against the entire humanity and civilization.

Drear compatriots,

On this national mourning day, on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan, I share your deep grief, pray to Allah to rest the souls of all the innocent victims of the policy of genocide.

Ilham Aliyev,

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

City of Baku, 16 April 2004