The savagery and inhumane events witnessed on Feb. 25-26, 1992 in Azerbaijan’s Khojaly province, in which over 1,000 Azerbaijanis were killed in one night, mostly comprising women, children and the elderly, are not only marked in the history of Azerbaijan but are imprinted in the conscience and mind of the international community.
The Khojaly massacre is one of the bloodiest incidents of ethnic conflict fueled by ultranationalism and experienced in various regions, especially the Balkans and the South Caucasus, in the post-Cold War era and after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The massacre is going to be remembered as a painful and bewildering example of the cruelty of man against man.
The events in Khojaly, and aggression experienced by Azerbaijan in general, have gone beyond the pain experienced by the victims of this aggression and the difficulties experienced by the victims of enforced migration; they permanently damaged the stability of the Caucasus. This instability still continues today and is the biggest obstacle standing in the way of regional cooperation.
The events in Khojaly are in essence part of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. Armenia breached the present frontiers by using force and engaged in ethnic cleansing on Azerbaijani soil. Armenia still continues this violation of law. This fait accompli on Azerbaijani soil is a blatant disregard of Azerbaijan’s historic rights and a wrong and unlawful act which disturbs humanity’s conscience. The occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh, despite Azerbaijan’s indisputable claim to the land, which is supported by historical and legal facts, and the destruction of Azerbaijani cultural heritage is an ongoing violation.
A few days ago, the Turkish Parliament hosted the opening of a photography exhibition titled “Justice for Khojaly” and the presentation of a book titled “Karabakh with Questions and Documents” together with the Islamic Conference Youth Forum for Dialogue and Cooperation and the Turkish-Azerbaijani Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group. Thus, we once again experienced this painful history and felt that on the one hand we must take away from this painful experience valuable lessons for humanity, our countries and the region and also think on steps that may be taken in order to prevent such extremely painful incidents from reoccurring.
On this issue, the most important point that must be stated is that in the 18 years since the Khojaly massacre, the Nagorno-Karabakh issue has not been resolved and Armenia, disregarding inter alia United Nations Security Council resolutions on the issue, still occupies 20 percent of Azerbaijani territory. This issue has caused a generation of Azerbaijanis to be separated from their motherland by forced migration and to live under difficult circumstances. Today, this issue is also the most prominent obstacle standing in the way of achieving a lasting environment conducive to obtaining peace, security and understanding.
The Caucasus region needs lasting peace and stability for the welfare and happiness of its people. Lately the region, which has a rich potential and a dynamic population, has regained renewed economic importance due to its energy resources and proximity to energy transportation routes. On the other hand, the region cannot take advantage of these opportunities due to its instability. One of the most prominent causes of this instability is the situation resulting from Armenia’s occupation of Azerbaijani territory.
The unresolved nature of the issue and the disregard for international law may lay the ground for future attempts to disrupt the stability of the region and, thus, presents a risk to regional stability.
The international community remained silent for a long period of time in the face of the occupation of Azerbaijan’s territory and the painful experiences of its people. However, when a cease-fire was obtained between the parties, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk process toward resolving the issue came in effect, but to no avail. Efforts made in good faith over the past 18 years have not borne any fruit.*The author, Associate Professor Cüneyt Yüksel is a member of Parliament and the vice president of political and legal affairs for the Justice and Development Party (AK Party).
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