On February 23, a commemoration event was held at the State Committee for Refugees and IDPs on the occasion of the 27th anniversary of Khojaly genocide. People of Khojali who lost both parents during the genocide, members of the Association “Mothers of the Enclaves of Srebrenica and Žepa” of Bosnia and Herzegovina attended the event. The victims of Khojali and Srebrenica genocides were commemorated with a minute of silence. Chairman of the State Committee Rovshan Rzayev said that the ethnic cleansing and genocide policy pursued by aggressive Armenian nationalists against our people continued for more than two hundred years, and that Khojali genocide committed 27 years ago is one of the bloodiest pages of this policy. It was noted that the Armenian armed forces, violating the international law, as well as the norms of international humanitarian law, cruelly attacked the besieged civilians and slaughtered 613 residents of the city. It was underlined that those who committed the genocide must receive their worthy penalties and respond before the international tribunal. In this regard, it was recalled that military villains who organized and executed the massacre of the peaceful Muslim people in Srebrenica were punished by international military tribunal after many years of trials. Chairman of the State Committee noted that giving the proper political assessment to Khojali genocide for the first time is related with the name of the National Leader Heydar Aliyev, and added that as a result of the farsighted and decisive policy pursued by the President Ilham Aliyev and increasing of the international reputation of Azerbaijan day by day, the number of states that recognize Khojali genocide and condemn this bloody murder is growing rapidly in the world. The campaign “Justice for Khojali” launched by Leyla Aliyeva, the Vice President of Heydar Aliyev Foundation also plays an important and effective role in this field. Underlining that our lands are still under occupation and the UN resolutions have not yet been implemented, the chairman of the State Committee said that Azerbaijan will execute its right to liberate its territories if peaceful negotiations fail. It was stated that in the battles of April, 2016, the Azerbaijani Army liberated some of our lands from occupation and 11 thousand hectares of territory passed to our control upon the successful Nakhchivan operation. We have enough military power, economic potential and political will to restore the territorial integrity of our country. The current status quo is unacceptable and the demand for withdrawal of Armenian occupying forces from our lands is always topical. Munira Subašić, the President of the Association “Mothers of the Enclaves of Srebrenica and Žepa”, who lost her husband, son and 22 other family members, made a speech at the event and gave detailed information about the essence of genocide and activities of the organization managed by her. One of the children, who lost both parents in Khojali genocide – Yasaman Hasanova, daughter of the National Hero Tofig Huseynov, said that Khojali genocide, one of the bloodiest tragedies in world history, had revealed once more the essence of Armenian chauvinism, and regretfully pointed out that such a severe crime against humanity has not yet given proper legal assessment at international level and called on mothers from Srebrenica to actively take part in the movement Justice for Khojali to the extent they can. It was underlined at the meeting that the joint work and fight of inheritors of the victims of the genocide and the witnesses of these events is very important for the protection of humanity from this cruel murder. The mothers from Srebrenica were presented Azerbaijani silk kerchief included in the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage and a souvenir symbolizing the return to Jojug Marjanli on behalf of the inheritors of Khojali genocide victims as a memory from the meeting. Members of the Public Council under the State Committee attended the commemoration event.