Azerbaijani FM Bayramov pays homage to child victims of 1999 bombings in Serbia

During his working visit to Serbia, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov paid tribute to the child victims of the 1999 bombings, laying flowers at a monument dedicated to their memory.

“As a country having suffered hugely from aggression against civilians, especially women and children throughout the former conflict, Azerbaijan strongly condemns all forms of aggression against innocent ones, including children during military operations,” the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said on X, Caliber.Az reports.

Azerbaijan, which has faced its own history of civilian suffering in war, has been vocal in its condemnation of attacks on non-combatants.

To recall, NATO conducted an aerial bombing campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War, lasting from March 24 to June 10, 1999. The air strikes continued until an agreement was reached, leading to the withdrawal of the Yugoslav Army from Kosovo and the establishment of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo, a UN peacekeeping mission.

The operation was officially named Operation Allied Force, while the United States referred to it as Operation Noble Anvil. In Yugoslavia, the campaign was mistakenly called Merciful Angel, likely due to a mistranslation.

By the war’s end, Yugoslav forces had killed between 1,500 and 2,131 combatants, with civilian casualties reaching 10,317, of whom 85% were Kosovar Albanians. Around 848,000 people were expelled from Kosovo. NATO air strikes resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,000 Yugoslav security forces and between 489 and 528 civilians, including children.

The bombing campaign caused widespread destruction, damaging infrastructure, military installations, and cultural sites. Between 9 and 11 tonnes of depleted uranium munitions were used.

Following the withdrawal of Yugoslav forces, more than 164,000 Serbs and 24,000 Roma fled Kosovo. Many of the remaining non-Albanian civilians, as well as Albanians suspected of collaborating with Yugoslav authorities, faced reprisals, including abductions and killings. Serbia became home to the largest number of refugees and internally displaced persons in Europe.

The campaign was NATO's second major combat operation after its 1995 bombing in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It marked the first time NATO used military force without UN Security Council approval, sparking debate over the legality and legitimacy of the intervention.

By Aghakazim Guliyev