IT’S NOT YET LATE TO DEMAND COMPENSATION FROM BAKU

PanARMENIAN.Net
19.01.2010 14:57 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Representatives of all Armenian political forces
visited Tuesday Tsitsernakaberd to lay flower wreaths on the khachkkar
(cross-stone) commemorating the victims of Armenian pogroms in Baku.

"We must never think that Armenian diplomacy missed the chance for
demanding compensation from Azerbaijan," ARFD parliamentary group
leader Vahan Hovhannisyan said.

"We must demand the independence of Karabakh and the surrounding
security zone in return for the death and sufferings of hundreds and
thousands of Armenians," he noted.

For his part, Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan said, "Our compatriots
were killed in Baku just because of being Armenians. The lost
their lives because of Armenian people’s century old struggle for
independence. This is what we should focus on while commemorating
victims of Armenian pogroms."

"A question arises as to what extent Armenians are protected in
world’s different parts. Don’t they face new threats and challenges?"

Mr. Sargsyan said, adding that an independent and powerful state is
the only guarantee for Armenia.

The ceremony was also attended by Yerevan Mayor Gagik Beglaryan,
Diaspora Minister Hranush Hakobyan and representatives from political
parties (Republican, Heritage and ARFD). Participants (about 500
people) also laid flowers on the tomb of Artsakh war hero Movses
Georgisyan.

In January 1990, Azerbaijani authorities instigated the Armenian
pogroms in Baku. Some 400 Armenians were killed and 200 thousand
were exiled in the period of January 13-19, 1990. The exact number
of those killed was never determined, as no investigation was carried
out into the crimes.

On January 13, a crowd numbering 50 thousand people divided into
groups and started "cleaning" the city of Armenians. On January 17,
the European Parliament called on EU Council of Foreign Ministers
and European Council to protect Armenians and render assistance to
Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. On January 18, a group of U.S. Senators
sent a letter to Mikhail Gorbachev to express concerns over the
violence against the Armenian population in Azerbaijan and called
for unification of Nagorno Karabakh with Armenia.