Ilham Aliyev: Azerbaijan Will Never Forget Tragedy of Khojaly

Baku / 27.02.18 / Turan: The Khojaly genocide is a manifestation of Armenian fascism. This is a manifestation of barbarism, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated in an interview with the Rossiya-24 television channel on February 26.

The film crew of Russian television interviewed Aliyev at the memorial to the victims of the Khojaly genocide in Baku.

"With what thoughts did you come here today, with what thoughts did you wake up?" the journalist asked.

"This day is one of the bloody pages in the history of the Azerbaijani people, the day of the genocide of Azerbaijanis, a day that the Azerbaijani people will always remember and will never forget.

26 years ago, an act of genocide was committed against Azerbaijanis, as a result of which 613 civilians were killed, among them 106 women and 63 children, more than 1,200 civilians were captured and tortured, about 500 became crippled, and about 150 civilians were lost with no information on them. They are considered to be missing, but, naturally, the likelihood is very high that they were also killed.

There are a lot of video, photographic materials and evidence miraculously survived about that terrible day, about that bloody tragedy. It was a manifestation of Armenian fascism, it was a manifestation of barbarism," Aliyev said.

"We remember this, and we will never forget it. Azerbaijan should become stronger so that this tragedy will never happen again. You asked how I feel about this mourning day. I think with the same feelings as every Azerbaijani does, with a sense of pain, sorrow for the innocently murdered, with a feeling of irreparable loss for the victims. At the same time with a sense of determination to strengthen our country, to strengthen its economic and military potential, so that the Azerbaijani people will never face such a tragedy in the future," Aliyev said. -06D--