Sustainable peace and development in the South Caucasus is impossible without facing the past, Aris Babikian, member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, said in an address to the House on the 30th anniversary of the Baku Massacres.
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On January 13, 1990 nationalists in Azerbaijan launched widespread and predetermined massacres against the unarmed Armenian minority in the capital, Baku, he reminded.
“Hundreds of Armenians were killed, tortured and forced to leave their homes during these atrocities. The massacres were preceded by the mass killing of Armenians in the Azerbaijani cities of Sumgait, Kirovabad, and Gyanja in 1988 and 1989,” the MP noted.
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“These crimes against humanity resulted in the ethnic cleansing of the Armenian population in the former Soviet republic. About half a million Armenians were deported from Azerbaijan and had to seek refuge in different parts of the world, including Canada,” Aris Babikian said.
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“To silence the voice and the will of the people of Artsakh for self-determination, Azerbaijan escalated the crisis into war. The impunity the criminals enjoyed, only served as fertile soil for new, even more, horrible crimes,” the lawmaker continued.
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According to him, sustainable peace and development in the South Caucasus is impossible without facing the past and restoring justice based on the principles of international law.
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“The survivors condemn the manifestation of xenophobia, intolerance and extremism. They call upon the authorities of Azerbaijan to stop the ongoing anti-Armenian propaganda,” Aris Babikian stated.
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H/T Public Radio Of Armenia