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Head of the Youth Forum of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Elshad Isgandarov and the Secretary General of OIC Parliamentary Union Mahmud Erol Kilic signed a protocol on cooperation between the two structures, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry told Trend on Jan.22.
The signing ceremony took place during the 10th session of the OIC Parliamentary Union in Turkey’s Istanbul.
Aside from the broad cooperation in numerous spheres, the document also envisages cooperation in holding ‘Justice for Khojaly’ campaign.
In the resolution on ‘Cooperation between the International Forum and the Parliamentary Union of OIC’, adopted during this session, the parliaments of the OIC member states once again showed the principled position on the recognition of the Khojaly tragedy as genocide, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said.
The participation of OIC member states in the ‘Justice for Khojaly’ campaign and cooperation between them in this sphere at the international level plays an important role in the recognition of the Khojaly genocide in the world, said the ministry.
The conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
Armenian armed forces, together with the 366th infantry regiment of Soviet troops stationed in Khankendi committed an act of genocide against the population of the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly on February 25-26, 1992.
As a result of the massacre, some 613 people were killed, including 63 children, 106 women and 70 old people. Eight families were totally exterminated, 130 children lost one parent and 25 children lost both. A total of 487 civilians became disabled as a result of the onslaught. Some 1,275 innocent residents were taken hostage, while the fate of 150 people remains unknown.
The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the U.S. are currently holding peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
Trend.az
