Menu
Latest
Menu
Latest
Karabakh parliamentarians condemn massacre of Armenians in Sumgait and Baku's speculations on Khojalu

Karabakh parliamentarians condemn massacre of Armenians in Sumgait and Baku's speculations on Khojalu

24 February 2012

Parliamentary factions and groups have adopted a joint statement saying that on February 20, 1988 in line with the Constitution and then effective legislation of the USSR, the former Nagorno Karabakh Autonomous Oblast Regional Council basing on the will of the Armenia population on the region submitted a petition to the Supreme Councils of the Azerbaijani SSR and Armenian SSR on the secession of the Nagorno Karabakh Autonomous Oblast from Soviet Azerbaijan and its transfer to Soviet Armenia. In response to that legal demand, the Azerbaijani authorities started repressions.

The statement reads that on February 26-28 1988 the Azerbaijani authorities planned and committed massacre of the Armenian population in Sumgait, which is provide by thousands of evidences, ArmInfo's correspondent to Stepanakert reports.

"To conceal their criminal attitude towards not only the peaceful Armenian population but also Azerbaijani population in Nagorny Karabakh, the ruling elite of Azerbaijan has been speculating on the topic 'genocide of peaceful population of Khojalu' for already 20 years.

"Basing on evidences by many witnesses of those incidents that were recorded by journalists and international human rights organizations and even confirmed by some Azerbaijani authors, and for the fair and true presentation of facts, the deputy factions and group of the NKR National Assembly declare that it is only the Azerbaijani authorities and forces that are responsible for the violence committed with regard to the peaceful population on Sumgait, Azerbaijan, on Feb 26029 1988 and the peaceful population in Khojalu, Askeran region of NKR on Feb 26-27," the statement reads.

The NKR parliamentarians express their commitment to peaceful resolution of the Karabakh conflict and urge that Azerbaijani party to "refuse the groundless and irresponsible policy of enmity and hatred and direct efforts to creation of bases for further peaceful coexistence of the two neighbor states and peoples."

Related articles

Editor's choice
News
Ramadan begins
Trending

Ramadan begins

18 February 2026
The Muslim Holy month of Ramadan started on Wednesday, 18 February. For Muslims across the world, the holy month of Ramadan is a time for religious reflection, increased worship, charity and community. Observant Muslims abstain from all forms of food and drink between the hours of dawn and sunset whilst trying to reconnect with their faith. Islam adheres to the lunar calendar. This means that the month of Ramadan begins when the first crescent of a new moon is sighted  The lunar calendar is 10 to 11 days shorter than the modern 365-day Gregorian calendar, which is based on the Earth's rotation around the sun. This difference means Ramadan begins on a different day each year.  In Muslim-majority countries, dedicated state committees check for the crescent moon and officially announce the start of Ramadan. Saudi Arabia, Qatar and several other Gulf countries claimed to have sighted the crescent moon on 17 February and declared 18 February as the first day of Ramadan. However, Egypt, Turkey Jordan and some other countries said the crescent moon was not sighted and therefore announced that Ramadan would begin on Thursday 19 February. This means that the month of fasting will likely end on either Wednesday 18 March or Thursday 19 March, as there are either 29 or 30 days in a lunar month. As a result, Eid al-Fitr, the festival of breaking the fast, is likely to fall on either Thursday 19 March or Friday 20 March. Eid al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan. Muslims tend to celebrate Eid with a small breakfast and give to charity before Eid prayers in congregation.

Popular

Editor's choice
Interview
Thursday Interview: Murad Muradov
Trending

Thursday Interview: Murad Muradov

15 January 2026
Today, commonspace.eu starts a new regular weekly series. THURSDAY INTERVIEW, conducted by Lauri Nikulainen, will host  persons who are thinkers, opinion shapers, and implementors in their countries and spheres. We start the series with an interview with Murad Muradov, a leading person in Azerbaijan's think tank community. He is also the first co-chair of the Action Committee for a new Armenian-Azerbaijani Dialogue. Last September he made history by being the first Azerbaijani civil society activist to visit Armenia after the 44 day war, and the start of the peace process. Speaking about this visit Murad Muradov said: "My experience was largely positive. My negative expectations luckily didn’t play out. The discussions were respectful, the panel format bringing together experts from Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey was particularly valuable during the NATO Rose-Roth Seminar in Yerevan, and media coverage, while varied in tone, remained largely constructive. Some media outlets though attempted to represent me as more of a government mouthpiece than an independent expert, which was totally misleading.  Overall, I see these initiatives as important steps in rebuilding trust and normalising professional engagement. The fact that soon a larger Azerbaijani civil society visits to Armenia followed, reinforces the sense that this process is moving in the right direction." (click the image to read the interview in full)
Murad Muradov
Lauri Nikulainen interviews Murad Muradov