BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 4

Trend:

The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs received a request to start the procedure for recognizing Azerbaijan's Khojaly genocide, the Azerbaijani State Committee on Work with Diaspora told Trend.

During the first Karabakh war, the Armenian military committed an act of genocide against the population of Azerbaijan’s Khojaly town consisting of 7,000 people on Feb. 26, 1992.

As many as 613 people, including 63 children, 106 women, and 70 old people were killed as a result of the massacre. A total of 1,000 civilians became disabled in the onslaught. Eight families were completely annihilated, 130 children lost one parent, while 25 lost both parents. Some 1,275 innocent residents were taken hostage.

The petition was signed by member of the Verkhovna Rada (parliament) of Ukraine, deputy chairperson of the Ukraine-Azerbaijan Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group Liudmyla Marchenko.

“The issue of recognizing the Khojaly genocide was raised in a letter received by Verkhovna Rada signed by co-chairman of the Rada of Ukrainian Azerbaijanis, chairman of the "United Diaspora of Ukrainian Azerbaijanis" Hikmat Javadov,” the petition said.

“Recognition of the Khojaly tragedy as genocide will help restore historical justice, as well as strengthen friendly relations between Ukraine and Azerbaijan,” the petition said.

While using her parliamentary powers, Marchenko asked Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba to begin the procedure for recognizing the genocide.

The members of the Ukraine-Azerbaijan Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group visited Azerbaijan in October 2021 through the support of the Azerbaijani parliament and the Azerbaijani State Committee on Work with Diaspora. The Ukrainian MPs who visited Ganja and Aghdam cities stressed in a joint statement following the visit that they were horrified with the consequences of Armenia’s terror, they stated that the world shouldn't remain indifferent.