Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

Iranian Ambassador to Azerbaijan said Iran shares the grief of Azerbaijani people regarding the Khojaly tragedy.

The Khojaly tragedy refers to the massacre committed by Armenian armed forces against Azerbaijani civilians during the 1990s war.

Asked whether Iran condemns Armenia for the massacre of Azerbaijani civilians in Khojaly, Mohsun Pakayin said his country condemns all acts of terror perpetrated by states or individuals.

The Khojaly massacre is one of the most heinous and bloodiest events of the 20th century. Late into the night of February 25, 1992, the town of Khojaly came under intense fire from the town of Khankendi and Askeran already occupied by Armenian armed forces. 613 civilians, including 106 women, 70 elderly, and 83 children were killed, and a total of 1,000 civilians were disabled. Moreover, 1,275 innocent people were taken hostage.

Earlier, it was reported that Iranian parliament plans to discuss the Khojaly genocide.

Javad Jahangirzadeh, a member of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said in late September it was agreed that the parliamentary friendship groups of the two countries would prepare a joint letter and send it to the Iranian Parliament, stating their position on the Khojaly genocide.

Jahangirzadeh said Iran treats the issue of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with sensitivity, and rejects any outside interference in resolving regional conflicts.

Resolutions on the Khojaly tragedy have been passed in the Parliaments of Turkey, Pakistan, Mexico, Colombia, and the OIC.

Similar resolutions have also been adopted in the Parliaments of the Czech Republic, Romania, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The U.S. states of Connecticut, West Virginia, Massachusetts, Texas, Maine, New Jersey, Georgia, New Mexico, Arkansas, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania have also recognized the Khojaly massacre.

Armenia and Azerbaijan fought a lengthy war that ended with the signing a fragile ceasefire in 1994. Armenian armed forces have since occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions, defying the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on pullout from the occupied territories.