LETTER OF THE ARMENIAN PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE IN UN SPREAD ON THE OCCASION OF THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE POGROMS COMMITTED AGAINST ARMENIANS IN SUMGAIT AND BAKU
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2010-02-24
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 24, ARMENPRESS: On the occasion of the anniversary
of the pogroms committed against Armenians in Sumgait and Baku the
letter of the Armenian permanent representative in UN Karen Nazaryan
addressed to the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has been spread as
an official document of that organization.
Armenian Foreign Ministry Press and Information Department told
Armenpress that making reference in the letter to the cheap propaganda
and false facts spread continuously by the Azerbaijani government
for disorienting the international community, the letter says,
"Azerbaijan continues presenting itself as a victim of "Armenian
aggression" distorting not only the very well known tragic events
but in time the references of the Azerbaijani sources".
Ambassador K. Nazaryan, particularly cited the well-known interview of
former Azerbaijani President Ayaz Mutalibov in which referring to the
Khojalu events, the latter describes how the Azerbaijani opposition
and militsia (police) impeded the evacuation of the civil population
through a mountain corridor from the area of military activities. The
opposition hoped through massacre of its own compatriots reach
power in Baku. The letter also cites the 1992 September report of
"The Helsinki Watch" organization which pointed to the testimonies
of Azerbaijanis who confirmed the shooting of militsia at the civil
population which was trying to escape.
The letter also emphasizes that the international community has
many times testified and confirmed the numerous brutalities of the
Azerbaijani government toward the unprotected Armenian population.
"In response to the applying of the right to self-determination by
the people of Nagorno Karabakh, the Azerbaijani authorities organized
and armed the crowd which in 1988 organized pogroms against Armenians
living in Sumgait. These pogroms were the first case of mass killings
in the soviet territory registered in the trial cases. Immediately
after declaring its independence Azerbaijan freed the convicted
murderers and publicly declared them national heroes. "The Helsinki
Watch" organization’s report shows that the events were aimed to
threaten the Armenians living in other regions of Azerbaijan."
The Armenian ambassador concludes the letter saying "It is necessary to
clear out finally and for good that Azerbaijan started armed aggression
against Nagorno Karabakh. Armenia is convinced that in this situation
the best solution will be the restoration of the legal demand of the
Nagorno Karabakh people – implementation of the inviolable right of
the people to self-determination".