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By Trend

Leaders of religious confessions in Azerbaijan have sent an appeal to world's religious leaders, parliaments, and international organizations, the Caucasus Muslims Office said in a message March 28.

"Expressing aspirations and wishes of Azerbaijani citizens and millions of world Azerbaijanis on the eve of the 100th anniversary of the Genocide of Azerbaijanis - a crime against humanity accompanied by insidious and inconceivable crimes - we bring an appeal to the attention of the world community, religious leaders, parliaments and international organizations. The facts of the genocide committed because of national, ethnic and religious affiliation remain in the memory of mankind as the "black stains" of the world history," the appeal reads.

The appeal reads that Azerbaijanis are among the nations suffering from such crimes, and the regular nature of these terrible disasters always disturbs the Azerbaijani public, including the religious community.

"In the 1920s, Zangazur, the historical territory of Azerbaijan, was transferred to Armenia without any justification, and an Armenian autonomy was created in Nagorno-Karabakh. In 1948-1953, hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis were deported from their native lands, and in fact a mono-ethnic Armenian Republic was created in the ancestral territories of Azerbaijanis. A new wave of aggression and policy of ethnic cleansing by Armenian nationalists against our people began under pressure and provocation of the Armenian lobby in the second half of the 1980s," the appeal reads.

The appeal further reads that acts of vandalism were committed in the lands of Azerbaijan, seized by Armenians, and historical, religious, cultural monuments, sacred places and cemeteries were destroyed. The culmination was an act of genocide committed by Armenian extremists in 1992 in Khojaly.

"The genocide and the policy of genocide caused big moral and material damage to people," the appeal said. “Only after Azerbaijani national leader Heydar Aliyev returned to power, the essence of the genocide and the deportation policy, carried out by Armenian nationalists, was brought to the world community’s attention."

Today, the Azerbaijani official and public circles bring irrefutable facts of ethnic cleansing and genocide committed by Armenian extremists in Azerbaijan to the attention of international organizations.

"Unfortunately, the Armenian terrorists have not been punished for the committed crimes yet,” the appeal said. “To date, the requirements of the four famous resolutions of the UN Security Council have not been fulfilled. Despite Azerbaijan’s appeals to international organizations for many years, the Khojaly genocide has not found a proper political, legal assessment yet.”

According to the appeal, the Khojaly tragedy stands in same line with such inhuman crimes as the Holocaust, Bombing of Guernica and Khatyn Massacre.

"We, religious figures, once again appeal to the leaders of religious confessions, international community,” the appeal said. “We call for public and political assessment of the genocide committed by the Armenian occupiers.”

The appeal was signed by Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims Office Sheikhulislam Allahshukur Pashazade, Archbishop of Baku and Azerbaijan Eparchy of the Russian Orthodox Church Alexander, Head of the Community of Mountain Jews in Azerbaijan Milih Yevdayev, and Chairman of the Albanian-Udi Christian Community Robert Mobili.

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