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234172
Thu, 03/29/2012 - 13:34
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Pakistani newspaper publishes article on 31 March - Day of Genocide of Azerbaijanis

Baku, March 29 (AzerTAc). Pakistan`s newspaper “Daily Times” has published an article entitled “March 31 — The day of genocide of Azerbaijanis”. The article says: “Since 1998, March 31 has been commemorated in the Republic of Azerbaijan on a state level as the Day of Genocide of the Azerbaijanis. This is a manifestation of the national memory to the tragic events in the history of Azerbaijan during the last century. The massacres, repressions, mass deportation from their homelands are included to the black pages of history of Azerbaijan in the 20th century. Acts of the Armenian chauvinists, who had been crazy with the fantasy of “the Great Armenia” and had resorted to all kinds of means to achieve this aim, are clearly seen in the tragic history of the Azerbaijani people. Gulustan and Turkmanchay treaties of 1813 and 1828 at the end of the first and second wars between Russia and Iran resulted in separation of Azerbaijan. As a result, the northern part of Azerbaijan was included in the territory of Russia and the southern part in the territory of Iran. Armenians have taken advantage of collapse of Russian Empire and joined hands with Bolsheviks. Under the slogan of struggle against the counter-revolutionaries in March 1918, the Baku Commune decided to completely eliminate the Azerbaijanis in the Baku province.” The article underlines that the crimes committed by the Armenians during those days were engraved on the memory of the Azerbaijani people forever. Thousands of Azerbaijanis were killed just for their ethnic identity, houses were set on fire, people were burnt alive. Architectural monuments, schools, hospitals, mosques and other buildings were destroyed, most of Baku turned into ruins. Genocide of Azerbaijanis was carried out in Baku, Shamakhy, Guba, Karabakh, Zangazour, Nakhchivan, Lankaran and other places with medieval barbarity. In February and March 1918, Armenians killed about 50,000 people in Baku, Shamakhy, Guba, Mugan, Lankaran and other cities of Azerbaijan. “Their homes were robbed, tens of thousands of people were forced out of their homes. Only in Baku, about 30,000 people were mercilessly killed. Fifty-eight villages were burnt in Shamakhy, 150 villages in Karabakh, 115 in Zangazour, 211 in Iravan Province and 92 Azerbaijani villages in Kars were completely destroyed, people were punished ruthlessly regardless of their gender and age. Right after the end of the World War II, mass resettlement of Armenians was started. Around 509,000 Armenians were shifted from Syria, Greece, Lebanon, Iran, Bulgaria, Romania, France, USA, Greece and Palestine to Armenia. The events of 1905-1920 were repeated again – women, children, elderly moved to Azerbaijan having passed snowy mountains and suffered big losses. The events of 1948-1953 were repeated again – by the instruction of the central Soviet leadership – accommodation of the refugees in Karabakh was not permitted and they had to settle in the refugee camps. Ultimately, Armenia became a mono-ethnical country and the idea of Dashnaks – Armenia without Azerbaijanis – has become a reality. After 1988, the military aggression of Armenia against Azerbaijan resulted in occupation of 20 percent of the Azerbaijani territory, turning the occupied districts into ruins and more than one million people becoming refugees and internally displaced people. Around 30,000 Azerbaijanis lost their lives, tens of thousands of people were wounded. Khojaly genocide committed on February 26, 1992, will remain in the memories of the people as a display of inadmissible and cruel policy of Armenian nationalists. At that night, 613 people were killed with brutality. The Republic of Azerbaijan gained its independence on October 18, 1991, and got a chance to properly evaluate the historical events that took place in Azerbaijan during the 20th century. On March 26, 1998, on the eve of the 80th anniversary of the March of 1918 events, the acts committed by Armenian nationalists were given a political appraisal by a special decree signed by Azerbaijan President Heydar Aliyev. This decree was the first legal document testifying the genocide committed against the Azerbaijanis in the 20th century.”

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