The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia issued a statement on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the massacre of Armenians in Sumgayit.

Here are excerpts from the statement: “35 years ago, in 1988, on February 27-29, at the instigation of the Azerbaijani authorities and as a result of criminal inaction, massive Armenian pogroms took place in the city of Sumgayit, in which hundreds of Armenians, including children, women and the elderly, were killed and thousands were forcibly displaced.

The pogroms, planned in advance by the Azerbaijani authorities, were carried out in order to brutally suppress the civilized struggle of the people of Artsakh to live in dignity and establish peace in their historic homeland. This mass crime, committed on the basis of national identity, received a broad response and was condemned by the international community, including the adoption of relevant resolutions by the European Parliament. However, the real organizers and perpetrators of the crime not only failed to take responsibility, but, emboldened by impunity and leniency, created a new wave of Armenian hatred and intolerance by carrying out new pogroms and massacres of Armenians in Baku, Kirovabad and other Armenian-populated regions of Azerbaijan. 

Now, 35 years after the Sumgayit massacre, Azerbaijan has been illegally blocking the road to Berdzor for nearly 80 days, with the aim of deporting more than 120,000 Armenians living in Artsakh. Thus, Azerbaijan continues its policy of evacuating Artsakh by subjecting Artsakh Armenians to ethnic cleansing.”

Western Armenia pays tribute to the memory of our compatriots massacred in Sumgayit and at the same time notes that the Azerbaijani authorities continue this policy of genocide in Artsakh today.