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Congress of European Azerbaijanis issues statement on 20th anniversary of Shusha occupation

08 May 2012 14:58 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. The Congress of European Azerbaijanis issued a statement addressed to the Azerbaijanis living in the European countries on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the occupation of Azerbaijani region of Shusha by Armenians. Press service of the State Committee on Work with Diaspora told APA that the statement reads: â€œShusha, being held under the Armenian occupation, has a particular place in the history of Azerbaijan. Shusha was founded by Panah Ali Khan, the founder of Karabakh khanate.

On May 8, 1992, Shusha was occupied by the Armenian forces supported by the former Soviet armyâ€™s 366th regiment. At least 200 people were killed, 600 were wounded, 100 became invalids, 552 children became orphans, more than 20 000 population turned into internally displaced personsâ€.

The document signed by the president of the Congress of European Azerbaijanis Samira Patzer-Ismailova reads: â€œThe Congress of European Azerbaijanis calls on international organizations to demand Armenia to withdraw its forces from the occupied lands of Azerbaijan. The congress also calls on all European Azerbaijanis to inform the public communities, governmental and non-governmental organizations of the countries, where they live, about the crimes perpetrated by the Armenians against the people, history and culture of Azerbaijanâ€.