HOMAGE PAID TO THOSE KILLED IN BAKU AND SUMGAYIT
gov.am
Jan 20 2010
Armenia
On the 20th anniversary of mass killings organized in Baku, RA
Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan visited the memorial complex of
Tsitsernakaberd to pay homage to the victims of these acts of crime.
The Prime Minister and those in attendance laid a wreath at the
monument serving to keep alive the memory of innocent victims. They
observed a minute of silence before the stele dedicated to the victims
and honored the funeral service.
"This is a day of commemoration, meditation and warning for all
of us," Tigran Sargsyan said in his remarks. "Twenty years ago, our
compatriots were killed in Baku merely because they were Armenians. We
must emphasize this while commemorating our victims. We should see if
Armenians all over the world are protected today, whether our dream
of mastering the destiny is realized completely and we are safe from
new threats and challenges, whether we are protected from new ethnic
cleansings targeting our compatriots in different parts of the globe.
The lesson to draw from history is as follows: our powerful and
sovereign statehood is the only pledge for us to tackle all-Armenian
issues and survive as a nation. We must have a strong Armenia if we
are to feel ourselves protected in any part of the world. We need
cohesion and nationwide cooperation in the face of new challenges
ahead as evidenced not only by the killings that took place in Baku 20
years ago, but also by those continued incidences of xenophobia versus
the Armenians officially fomented in Azerbaijan. Hence, we should
be watchful and cautious. In commemorating our innocent victims,
we must clearly see the key to those nationwide issues facing the
Armenian world, namely the strengthening of our sovereign statehood
that is the reinforced, fortified, independent and free Armenia."