An Event was held in the State Committee for Affairs of Refugees and IDPs in connection with the 31 March Genocide

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Mətbuat xidmətinin məlumatı 31 March, 2018

A commemoration event dedicated to the 100th anniversary of 1918 massacre of Azerbaijanis was held on March 30 in the State Committee for Affairs of Refugees and IDPs. A photography exhibition and a video reflecting the 31 March Genocide were demonstrated at the event. The representatives of the State Committee for Affairs of Refugees and IDPs, the Social Development Fund of Internally Displaced Persons, and of the NGOs, as well as the internally displaced persons took part in the commemoration event. The Deputy Chairman of the State Committee Garay Farhadov made a speech during the event and spoke about the history of the tragedy. He said that the slaughter committed by the unit of armed Armenians and Bolsheviks against Azerbaijani people on March 31 and April 1, 2 were of massive nature, and the Armenian armed forces had killed innocent people mercilessly. Those events had been politically assessed by the Order “On Massacre of Azerbaijanis” signed by the National Leader Heydar Aliyev on March 26, 1998, and the genocide of Azerbaijani people by Armenians had been officially declared for the first time. The Day of Genocide of Azerbaijanis is marked at the state level every year. It was brought to the attention that, starting from the early XIX century, thousands of Armenian families had been migrated to Garabagh, Nakhchivan, Zangazur, Iravan Governorship and other regions, which were Azerbaijan’s historical lands, from Iran and Turkey. The purpose of the genocide, ethnic cleansing and deportation policy purposefully carried on for more than two centuries against Azerbaijanis by Armenian nationalists and their promoters was to expel our fellow citizens from their historical lands and to establish the state of “Great Armenia” in these territories. More terrible one of those tragedies was the genocide committed against Azerbaijanis on March 31, 1918. In his speech, the Chairman of Azerbaijan Refugees Society Aziz Alakbarli noted that Armenians had also destroyed our historical monuments brutally during that genocide. The history of Armenians’ hostile attitude towards our people dates back to 200 years ago. In 1905 the first genocide was committed by Armenians against our people. After that, such genocides became consistent. Khojali and Garadaghli tragedies and other such massacres were the continuation of that hostility policy. It was stressed that the first political assessment of the March Genocide was provided by the National Leader Heydar Aliyev. Under the Order signed by him, the 31st of March is marked as the Day of Genocide of Azerbaijanis every year. Firdovsi Kazimov, Deputy Chairman of the Working Group on the assessment of losses and casualties caused by occupation of the lands of the Azerbaijan Republic by Armenian armed forces reminded that Zangazur and a number of Azerbaijani lands were declared the territory of the Armenia SSR in 1920. In the later years, new methods were attempted in order to expand the policy of deporting our fellow citizens living in those areas. That was why Armenians achieved the deportation of Azerbaijanis from their mother lands at the state level in 1947, 1948 and 1953 under the decisions of the Government of the USSR. F.Kazimov said that according to the calculations of the authority represented by him, the armed invasion by Armenia in 1988-1994 had caused damage in the amount of more than 819 billion USD to Azerbaijan. Deputy Head of Khojali region Executive Power Lamia Garayeva said that the main purpose of Armenians in committing that genocide was to realize the dream of “Great Armenia”. That genocide was being committed not only in Baku, but also in other regions. One of the most terrible crimes committed by Armenians against our people was Khojali genocide. Today Armenians carry out cultural terrorism in our lands occupied by them. Our historical monuments are destroyed and the monuments, which belong to the Caucasian Albania, are introduced as Armenians’ historical monuments. Currently, all necessary actions are taken in our country in order for this genocide to be acknowledged in all over the world. The teacher of Baku State University, historian scientist Nazim Valishov brought to the attention the historical facts related to the 31 March Genocide. He said that the tragedies inflicted on our people in the late XX century were the continuation of what was committed in the beginning of the century.