Massacre in Khojaly remembered in protests

BAKU

A group protests in Turkey’s Giresun the violence in Nagorno-Karabakh. AA photo

The Khojaly massacre was marked across the world on Feb. 25 as Azerbaijan continues its efforts for the massacre to achieve international recognition.

Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu urged member countries Feb. 24 to join efforts for the recognition of the Khojaly genocide on a global scale, Anatolia news agency reported. Azerbaijani civilians living in the town of Khojaly in Nagorno-Karabakh were attacked on Feb. 26, 1992 by Armenian forces during the war between Baku and Yerevan. According to Azerbaijani officials, at least 600 people, mostly women and children, were killed.

Turkish Deputy Culture and Tourism Minister Abdurrahman Arıcı said the massacre was not included in the global agenda as much as it should have.

“Unfortunately despite taking place in the recent times, the massacre was not brought to the world agenda as much as it should have been,” Arıcı said, adding that the event should be carried on to next generations.

“No matter what happens this incident will not be forgotten,” he said.

A series of commemoration events were held in many cities in Turkey. A petition seeking a U.S. presidential proclamation to commemorate the Khojaly massacre this month has reached the necessary 100,000 signatures required by the White House for the president to make an official pronouncement on the incident, according to convention.