Azerbaijan adopts statement on genocide at conference in Guba

The conference on "Ethnic cleansing and legal aspects of the crimes of genocide: in the context of historical facts" held in connection with March 31 - the Day of Genocide of Azerbaijanis has ended in the Guba district.

Ombudsman Sabina Aliyeva, chairman of the West Azerbaijan Community, MPs Aziz Alakbarli, Vahid Ahmadov, Hikmat Babaoglu and others delivered speeches at the event, Report's northern bureau informs.

Aliyeva noted that despite the sufficient evidence confirming aggression, crimes against humanity, as well as acts of terror and genocide committed by Armenians against Azerbaijanis, these crimes have not been adequately assessed on an international level yet due to double standards towards Azerbaijan.

"Once again I call on international organisations, avoiding double standards, based on international law, to demonstrate a resolute and fair position regarding these grave crimes against Azerbaijanis and to recognise the act of genocide," she said.

Alakbarli noted that Armenians from time to time pursued a policy of ethnic cleansing and genocide against Azerbaijanis, as a result of which our compatriots were evicted from their native lands.

“Modern Armenia was created on the lands of ancient Azerbaijan. The lands of Western Azerbaijan are our historical lands. We all have a moral right to claim these lands,” he added.

The chairman of the community noted that Armenians carried out ethnic cleansing against Azerbaijanis in 1948-1953, and 1987-1991.

"Ethnic cleansing was carried out on the territory of Western Azerbaijan, our compatriots were evicted from their historical lands," he said.

In turn, Babaoglu said that the international community has not yet given a legal and political assessment of the genocide committed by Armenians against Azerbaijanis.

"This is regrettable," he added.

He noted that Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijani people at the stage of their development went through very difficult trials.

“Armenians committed genocide in the territories inhabited by ethnic Azerbaijanis throughout the territory of our country and outside the borders of today's Azerbaijan from March 30 to April 4, 1918. Unfortunately, no legal, political assessment was given. The government of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic established an Extraordinary Commission of Inquiry in 1918 to investigate grave crimes committed by Armenians. However, as the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic did not exist for a long time, this issue remained open, and the problem has not yet been resolved,” Babaoglu said.

The MP reminded that an adequate political assessment was given to these terrible events only 80 years later - on March 26, 1998, upon the decree of Azerbaijani national leader Heydar Aliyev "On the genocide of Azerbaijanis" and March 31 was announced the Day of Genocide of Azerbaijanis.

“Since then, we have begun to study and teach the bitter pages of our history. The genocide committed against Azerbaijanis covered Baku, as well as Shamakhi, Guba, Yerevan, Zangazur, Karabakh, Nakhchivan and Kars. People were subjected to the Armenian genocide in Guba regardless of nationality or ethnicity,” he noted.