The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a statement regarding March 31 – the Day of Genocide of Azerbaijanis
Modern.az reports that the statement reads:
“Today, March 31 – the Day of Genocide of Azerbaijanis, marks 108 years since the horrific massacres committed against our people by radical Armenian groups.
In March 1918, the genocide carried out by 6,000 armed members of the Baku Soviet and 4,000 armed members of the “Dashnaktsutyun” party is etched in history as one of the cruelest examples of ethnic cleansing policy. The confessions of Stepan Shaumyan, the Extraordinary Commissioner of the Caucasus at that time, also prove that these massacres were committed precisely on the grounds of national hatred under the guise of “fighting counter-revolution.”
In regions such as Baku, Shamakhi, Guba, Karabakh, Zangazur, Nakhchivan, Shirvan, and Iravan, as a result of these crimes systematically carried out, tens of thousands of Azerbaijanis were murdered. In Guba alone, over 16,000 people were killed, and 167 villages were razed to the ground. Along with the civilian population, the religious and cultural heritage of our people was targeted, and mosques and historical monuments were destroyed.
After the establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, despite the investigation of the events, the creation of special institutions for the purpose of bringing them to the attention of the world community, and the commemoration of March 31 as a nationwide day of mourning, the fall of the Republic prevented a political and legal assessment of this crime.
After the restoration of our independence, with the Decree of National Leader Heydar Aliyev dated March 26, 1998, “On the Genocide of Azerbaijanis,” these massacres were given a legal and political assessment at the state level.
This bloody genocide policy in the early 20th century continued in subsequent periods, taking on a systematic character towards the end of the century with the mass deportation of Azerbaijanis from the territory of present-day Armenia, the massacres committed during the years of occupation of Azerbaijani territories, especially the Khojaly genocide and other war crimes.
The Azerbaijani people will never forget these bloody pages of our history.
On March 31 – the Day of Genocide of Azerbaijanis, we commemorate with deep sorrow the dear memory of all our compatriots who became victims of ethnic hatred and genocide.
May God rest their souls!
