Türkiye pays tribute to victims of 1919 Armenian violence in Iğdır PHOTO

Aziz Gün, head of the National Education Directorate of Türkiye’s eastern province of Iğdır, visited the border village of Oba, where he joined a group of schoolchildren and local teachers to honour the memory of civilians who were victims of Armenian armed groups.

Primary school students and their teachers gathered at a monument erected at the site of a mass grave where villagers were thrown alive into bakery ovens by Armenians in 1919, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

Participants in the commemoration also visited the local cemetery, where the remains of the victims were buried, and offered prayers in their memory.

Speaking to the children, Aziz Gün recounted the tragic events of 1918–1919, noting that Armenian armed groups had committed atrocities across various parts of Eastern Anatolia during that period.

"Back then, hundreds of innocent people were killed across Iğdır alone. In the village of Hakmehmet, 83 civilians were killed by Armenians, and in Oba, 90 people lost their lives. The younger generation must know the history of their region well and remember the atrocities committed by Armenians, who showed no mercy to children, the elderly, or women," Gün said.

He emphasised that the monument to the victims of Armenian violence symbolises the unity and solidarity of the people.

"It is important to learn from history. Without forgetting the pain of the past, we must look to the future with hope, and live in peace and unity," the education chief stated.

Aziz Gün called on students to honour the memory of their ancestors and contribute to the development of Türkiye.

By Tamilla Hasanova