Victims of the Khojaly tragedy commemorated at Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Republic of Moldova

The Embassy of Azerbaijan in Moldova has organized an event to commemorate the victims of the Khojaly tragedy. On February 26, 1992, over 600 people lost their lives in this Azerbaijani town situated in the Karabakh region.

The event was attended by members of the Moldova’s parliament, heads and representatives of diplomatic missions, representatives of the capital's city hall, and the Committee for Relations with the Diaspora of Azerbaijan.

The event was opened by Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Azerbaijan in the Republic of Moldova Ulvi Bakhshaliyev. The diplomat reminded those present that, on the night of February 26, 1992, hundreds of civilians, including children, women and the elderly, had died in the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly.

“The brutal annihilation of hundreds of innocent residents of Khojaly was one of the most heinous crimes committed at the end of the 20th century. In the aftermath of the massacre, 613 people were killed, including 106 women, 63 children and 70 elderly individuals. As many as 1275 residents were taken hostage, and the fate of 150 individuals is still unknown,” said the head of the diplomatic mission.

Those present laid flowers at the bas-relief dedicated to the victims of Khojaly, located in the Victory Square outside the Embassy. The memory of the victims was honored with a minute of silence.

The head of the inter-parliamentary friendship group between Moldova and Azerbaijan, Vitalie Jacot, expressed the Moldovan people's compassion for the tragedy of Khojaly and shared his impressions from his visit to the Karabakh region in peacetime.

“In those moments, I had heavy feelings because the images of that terrible night - pain, horror, suffering - came before my eyes,” said the deputy, noting that the Moldovan people, who are familiar with injustice and dramatic losses, share the pain of the Azerbaijanis.

The memory of the Khojaly victims was honored in the USA, in several European countries, Turkey, etc. According to the Embassy of Azerbaijan, in 1994, according to a special decree by President of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev, and a resolution of the Milli Majlis, February 26 was declared the “Khojaly Genocide Day and National Mourning Day.”