Azernews.Az

By Trend

A delegation of the Italian Chamber of Deputies visited Azerbaijan’s Ganja city on December 5, the press and PR department of the Azerbaijani parliament told Trend on Dec. 6.

The delegation headed by Vice-President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies Ettore Rosato was accompanied by Head of the working group on Azerbaijan-Italy inter-parliamentary relations Azer Karimli and other Azerbaijani MPs.

The members of the delegation visited the area in Ganja, in which buildings were damaged and a big number of civilians were killed and injured on October 11 and October 17, as a result of the missile attacks of the Armenian Armed Forces. First, flowers were laid at the destroyed residential building to revere the memory of the victims.

The purpose of the visit is for the Italian parliamentarians to see the consequences of the crimes committed by Armenia against civilians in Ganja, the second biggest city in Azerbaijan located far from the front line.

Ten people, including five women, were killed as a result of a war crime committed by the Armenian troops in Ganja on October 11. Some 34 people, including 10 women and 9 children, were injured. Another similar war crime was committed by the Armenian Armed Forces on October 17.

As a result of the missile attack in the central part of Ganja, 16 people, including 6 children, were killed. More than 55 people were injured. Numerous civilian infrastructure facilities and vehicles were greatly damaged. The strikes by using Tochka-U, Smerch, Scud and other missiles on densely populated areas, in which civilians live, at night were aimed at destroying a big number of civilians.

Despite the deliberate attack on civilians is a crime against humanity, Armenia continued to commit war crimes in violation of the norms and principles of international law, including the 1949 Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols, as well as the requirements of the humanitarian ceasefire.

The world powers, who called for ceasefire those days, were observing these events from afar.

Member of the Italian Senate and deputy head of the Italy-Azerbaijan Friendship Association Maria Rizzotti said that the main purpose of the visit of parliamentarians from various Italian political forces to Ganja was to see the grave consequences of the 30-year war and visit the place in which innocent people died.

"Of course, these are very difficult events," Rizzotti said. "Innocent people, including children, have died here."

At the same time, the member of the Italian Senate expressed joy in connection with the restoration of the internationally recognized borders of Azerbaijan.

"We are very glad that the borders of Azerbaijan, recognized at the international level, have been restored," Rizzotti said. "Now another difficult stage begins. The restoration work is being conducted at all these territories to return people to their previous places of residence. Proceeding from the friendly relations between Azerbaijan and Italy, I can say that we will also support the revival of the country's territories which were damaged as a result of the war."

The members of the delegation also talked to those who lost their relatives and friends during the tragic events in Ganja. The representatives of the Italian parliament will visit Aghdam district on Dec. 6 and review the situation in the liberated territories.