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The international board and secretariat of the Eurasian Regional Centre of the Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum (ICYF-ERC) made a declaration on the 32^nd anniversary of the Khojaly genocide, committed against Azerbaijani civilians during Armenia’s military aggression and occupation of the territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

In the mentioned declaration, the ICYF-ERC underscores its support for the "Khojaly: Recognise to Reconcile" International Coalition, established during an international conference on “Reconciliation through Recognition: Peacebuilding and Transitional Justice” held in the Italian Senate on March 1, 2022. “Khojaly: Recognise to Reconcile” International Coalition consists of representatives of renowned human rights organisations, such as the Association Mothers of Srebrenica, Budapest Centre for Dialogue and Mass Atrocities Prevention, and the Italian Federation of Human Rights, whose main objectives are to encourage Armenia to properly recognise the Khojaly massacre and offer a public apology to its victims, to facilitate direct dialogue between Azerbaijanis and Armenians to overcome memories of the conflict, and together find ways to achieve reconciliation and sustainable peace in the South Caucasus.

In the declaration, the ICYF-ERC calls on Armenian leaders to acknowledge the genocide and extend a public apology to its victims. That would be an important step for reconciliation efforts. Armenian authorities should hand over all perpetrators of this crime to the Azerbaijani authorities, and the international community should conduct a thorough legal assessment of the Khojaly genocide, recognising it as genocide. “ICYF-ERC solemnly commemorates and honours the innocent victims of the Khojaly genocide and shares its condolences with the people and government of Azerbaijan,” the declaration reads.

It should be noted that the Indonesian National Youth Council, a member of ICYF, and the Indonesian OIC Youth Organisation, one of the largest youth organisations in this country, made a joint declaration.

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