Azernews.Az

By Jamila Babayeva

Azerbaijan's Sumgayit city witnessed Armenian vandalism in February 1988. A group of Armenian extremists realized a special scenario of mass riots not only against Azerbaijanis, but also against their compatriots.

E. Grigoryan, his two brothers, as well as the State Security Committee of Armenian SSR agents were authors of this scenario that aimed to create an image of "wild" Azerbaijanis.

A former activist of the Karabakh separatist committee Pkhadadze, as well as other activists of Karabakh and Krunk nationalist societies, were also engaged in the provocative actions in Sumgayit.

During the Sumgayit events 26 Armenians and six Azerbaijanis were killed. Armenian Markarian, who was driving the bus, intentionally crushed on four Azerbaijanis and killed them. But the law enforcement agencies of the USSR hid this fact.

Armenia over the years refers to the Sumgayit events in an attempt to justify their separatist and aggressive policy against Azerbaijanis, the Khojaly genocide and other crimes committed in the territory of Azerbaijan.

"Most of Armenians, who died during the Sumgayit events were the ones who refused financial support of society Krunk, which functioned in Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan,"Azerbaijan's First Deputy Prosecutor General Rustam Usubov said at the presentation of the book "Sumgayit 1988: Crime and Punishment.

He stressed that the investigation revealed that then the security services' employees of Armenia arrived in Baku and Sumgayit and stay in hotels, met with the Armenians and held secret negotiations with them. "The investigative activities are underway on the Sumgayit events," he noted.

Usubov stressed that there were enough military force in Azerbaijan, including the cities of Baku and Sumgayit to stop the unrest that occurred in Sumgayit, but for some unknown reasons, the USSR sent here units of the military forces stationed in Russia.

"However, they have not taken sufficient measures to prevent riots," he added.

Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Elman Abdullayev,in turn, said there is a need to reveal promoters and organisers of the Sumgayit events.

He believes the certain circles standing behind the Sumgayit events tried to blacken Azerbaijan in the eyes of the whole world.

Abdullayev said actions against the Azerbaijani people were not limited with organizing riots in Sumgayit and Khojaly genocide. These circles had had plans against Azerbaijan, which should have been implemented throughout the 20th century.