The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan goes far back in the history in the post-Soviet area. Starting from 1988 Armenians triggered their aggressive action plan against Azerbaijan by illegally and unilaterally detaching Garabagh from Azerbaijan. However, if investigated in details, the root causes of the conflict lie in the centuries-long Armenian historical territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenians, in fact, was convinced to belive in having a territory in Azerbaijan lands before the Soviets regime. Despite living together in the union of the regime for 70 years, the hostility and ideologies borne in minds, and consequently, in 1991 and early 1992, armed hostilities and attacks of Armenia on Azerbaijan intensified. Khojaly, a town in the Nagorno-Karabakh region with a total area of 940 square kilometres and a population before the conflict of 7,000, mostly Azerbaijanis, became the target of one of these sinister operation plans.

In October 1991, Khojaly was entirely surrounded by Armenian forces and on the 30th of October, the transport route was deliberately destroyed, as the result of which only helicopters was the means for transportation. The bloodthirst  Armenian aggressors then targeted helicopters carrying civilians, and finally one of the civilian helicopters was shot down over the city of Shusha, killing 40 people. In January 1992, the electricity was cut in the town. 

Peter Tase is a contributor, freelance journalist and a research scholar of Paraguayan Studies and Latin American Affairs in the United States. He is also a researcher of the geopolitical issues in the South Caucasus, especially Garabagh conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia.    

According to Peter Tase, the responsibility of the Republic of Armenia, its political and military leadership as well as subordinate local armed groups for the crimes committed in Khojaly is confirmed by numerous facts. It includes investigative records, reports, testimonies of the eyewitnesses, evidences from international media sources, and reports of intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations.

"In its judgment of April 22nd, 2010, the European Court of Human Rights arrived at an important conclusion with respect to the crimes committed in Khojaly, qualifying the behavior of those carrying out the incursion as "acts of particular gravity which may amount to war crimes or crimes against humanity”. The European Court made in this regard the following observation, which leaves no doubt as to the question of qualification of the crime and pointing out a clear responsibility for it: "It appears that the reports available from independent sources indicate that at the time of the capture of Khojaly on the night of 25-26 February 1992 hundreds of civilians of Azerbaijani ethnic origin were reportedly killed, wounded or taken hostage, during their attempt to flee the captured town, by Armenian fighters attacking the town”. 

"Khojaly Genocide has caused so much pain and suffering to the nation of Azerbaijan, in a symmetrical format to what happened during World War II against the Jewish people in German – occupied Europe. The Holocaust committed by Nazi Germany Armed Forces was very similar to what Armenian Armed Forces had committed in Khojaly in February 1992. Therefore, the International Community, especially all democratic governments in Europe and across the Atlantic, must commemorate every year the Khojaly Genocide, as a despicable crime against humanity, orchestrated by Armenian Armed Forces and its current political elite.

Besides that, a detailed, thorough international investigation about the architects of Armenia that organised the appalling Khojaly Massacre against the Azerbaijani civilians (women and children) must take place immediately; all of the Armenian politicians, Armenian Military Generals (soldiers) and Ex Soviet Generals - Criminals that were directly involved with the mass murder of innocent citizens of Azerbaijan must be condemned, severely punished and at least incarcerated. 

The Republic of Armenia has occupied for over three decades 20 percent of sovereign territories of Azerbaijan and conducted in the occupied lands ethnic cleansing against Azerbaijani innocent civilians, including Khojaly genocide. All citizens of Azerbaijan are ethnically cleansed, a campaign led by Armenian Government and its armed forces, conducted in the occupied lands of Shusha, Kalbajar, Fizuli and other Districts adjacent to Nagorno-Karabakh territory. Armenians have destroyed the cultural heritage of Azerbaijan, throughout all of the seized lands that are a sovereign territory of Azerbaijan. The world must know that Nagorno-Karabakh has never had a cultural, religious and historical heritage of Armenia; this territory (Nagorno - Karabakh) is a cherished land of ancient culture and history of Azerbaijan."

by Elnur Enveroglu

Journalist, Editor-in-Chief of Eurasia Diary