Azernews.Az

By Trend

The perpetrators of the Khojaly genocide rule Armenia and remain at large, Arye Gut, a well-known expert in the field of international relations, said in an interview with the Vestnik Kavkaza news agency.

Arye Gut, who is also a political analyst and blogger in the Jerusalem Post, said that he always writes in the newspaper that the difference between the Khojaly tragedy and the Holocaust is that most of the Holocaust perpetrators were punished after the Nuremberg Trials, and those who were not convicted were punished thanks to Israeli intelligence.

The situation regarding Khojaly is different, and none of those guilty in the tragedy were punished, he said, adding that unfortunately, double standards are applied in international relations.

Gut noted that events, roundtable meetings are held in Israel both within the universities and as part of a political dialogue with parties and movements, where the Khojaly tragedy is spoken about.

The Heydar Aliyev Foundation is very helpful in this regard, and the Khojaly Year was held in Israel in 2013, Gut said.

A major photo exhibition “Justice for Khojaly” was held as part of the Justice for Khojaly international campaign, he added.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

On Feb. 25-26, 1992, the Armenian armed forces, together with the 366th infantry regiment of Soviet troops, stationed in Khankendi, committed an act of genocide against the population of the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly. As many as 613 people, including 63 children, 106 women and 70 old people were killed in the massacre. Eight families were totally exterminated, 130 children lost one parent and 25 children lost both. Some 1,275 innocent residents were taken hostage, while the fate of 150 people still remains unknown.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

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