On the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the massacres of Armenians in Sumgait

27 February, 2023

In response to the peaceful and legal struggle of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh for their rights, massacres and forced deportations of the Armenian population were organized by the Azerbaijani authorities on February 27-29, 1988 in the town of Sumgait, Azerbaijan, as a result of which hundreds of Armenians, including women, children and the elderly, were killed and injured, and thousands were forcibly displaced.

The pogroms against the Armenians aimed to violently suppress the peaceful and democratic struggle of the people of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) for self-determination, for a free and secure life in their historical homeland. The beginning of this struggle was signaled by the historic decision of people's deputies of Nagorno-Karabakh of February 20, 1988, forced by the decades-long policy of discrimination and oppression of Artsakh Armenians by the authorities of Azerbaijan.

Atrocities and ethnic cleansing against Armenians continued in Kirovabad, Baku and other Armenian-settled cities of Azerbaijan, turning about half a million Armenians into refugees and eventually leading to the complete expulsion of Armenians from Azerbaijan.

Almost three decades later, Azerbaijan continued the same policy against the just struggle of the Artsakh people trying to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict by force. The large-scale war unleashed against Artsakh in 2020 and its humanitarian consequences have proven once again that the reasons and threats underlying the 1988 decision are still relevant.

Today, too, it is imperative to ensure the security and rights of Artsakh Armenians, who have been under siege by Azerbaijan for more than two and a half months, facing a humanitarian crisis at risk of ethnic cleansing. 35 years after the Sumgait massacres, for about 80 days, Azerbaijan has illegally blockaded the Lachin corridor. The purpose of this operation is to displace the remaining 120,000 Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh as well. In doing so, Azerbaijan continues its policy of annihilation of the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh, which requires the direct condemnation of the international community and the immediate deployment of relevant international preventive mechanisms.

Even today, ignoring the orders of the International Court of Justice, Azerbaijan explicitly continues to destroy, desecrate and vandalise the Armenian historical-cultural monuments and sanctuaries, aiming to erase the Armenian trace in the territories fallen under its control. Simultaneously, the propaganda of hatred towards Armenians continues at the highest level, which aims to prevent overcoming the environment of enmity.

Today, paying tribute to the memory of the innocent victims of the pogroms against Armenians in Sumgait and other communities, we emphasise once again that Azerbaijan's Armenophobic rhetoric, maximalist aspirations and aggressive actions in response to efforts of Armenia to build stability and peace in the region, are unacceptable.

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