Russian analysts slam past Armenian gov’t for “monstrous policy” against Khojaly civilians Urge a tough punishment for the genocide's perpetrators

Igor Korotchenko, Director General of the Caspian Institute for Strategic Studies, has blamed the past Armenian government for pursuing a “monstrous policy” against Azerbaijani civilians of Khojaly.

"Today, friends of Azerbaijan, and simply people of goodwill, those who do not take any biased position, express words of sympathy for grief and share the just demands to find and punish the Armenian war criminals, whose victims during the monstrous massacre were civilians - children, the elderly, the wounded in Khojaly,” Azertag quotes him as saying.

“Justice for Khojaly, which we all demand today, is first and foremost a tribute to the innocent civilian victims. They became victims of the monstrous policy of the then Armenia, which put forward territorial claims, initiated the collapse of the Soviet Union and provoked this multi-year, bloody, unprecedented conflict in modern history," the political scientist said.

Korotchenko emphasised that justice has prevailed in Azerbaijan: "Along with this, we note with satisfaction that justice in the part concerning the restoration of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and sovereignty has prevailed thanks to the results of the Second Karabakh War, as well as thanks to the anti-terrorist measures carried out in 2023. Today Azerbaijan is completely free from any occupants. The country is effectively developing rapidly, the wounds of war are being healed, and a large-scale programme for the return of internally displaced persons has been adopted. Modern Azerbaijan, I am convinced of this, will punish all those criminals who committed a heinous act of genocide in Khojaly."

Meanwhile, commenting on the tragedy, Sergey Markov, Russian political scientist and Director of the Centre for Political Studies, stressed that the perpetrators of genocide deserve a punishment that knows no statute of limitations.

All those responsible for the genocide must, even after several decades, face a fair trial, Markov underscored.

The expert noted that the tragedy of Khojaly consolidated all the people of Azerbaijan around a simple and clear idea that only a victorious strong army of Azerbaijan can protect the people from a ruthless enemy.

"The monstrous tragedy has shown that Azerbaijan has not only legal but also moral truth on its side in the Karabakh conflict. The tragedy of Khojaly was of great importance for the future, because it consolidated the entire people of Azerbaijan around the simple clear idea that only a victorious strong army of Azerbaijan can protect the people from a ruthless enemy," emphasised the political analyst.

He said that thanks to the president of Azerbaijan, a strong army was created and all lands were returned.

"Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev created an army that not only protected the civilians of Azerbaijan but also completely liberated the entire territory of Karabakh. Thus, the commemorative events about the victims of the monstrous act of genocide for the first time in all this time can be held directly where they took place - in Khojaly,” Markov added.