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French diplomat: "It is strange that perpetrators of the Khojaly genocide have remained unpunished for 22 yearsâ€

24 February 2014 09:36 (UTC +04:00)

Azerbaijani State Committee for Work with Diaspora told APA that the two-hour rally in the Joffre plateau in the Champ-de-Mars Park began with a minute of silence for the victims of Khojaly. Chairperson of Paris-based House of Azerbaijan Mirvari Fataliyeva gave information about the massacre committed by the Armenians against the Azerbaijanis in Khojaly on the night of February 25-26 in 1992.

Azerbaijani Ambassador to France Elchin Amirbeyov noted with regret Khojaly genocide, one of the most terrible massacres of the 20th century, said the UN resolutions have not been fulfilled, the international community remains indifferent to the occupation of Azerbaijani territories. He called on the French people to recognize this tragedy as a genocide committed against the Azerbaijanis.

Jean Perrin, who was the first French ambassador to Azerbaijan in 1992, also attended the rally and shared his painful memories as an eyewitness of the tragedy. He said that he had visited the people wounded in 1992 during the Khojaly tragedy and didn’t forget those terrible scenes. He said it is strange that perpetrators of such a crime still remain unpunished. The French diplomat added that though 22 years have passed since the events, it isn’t too late to punish the perpetrators.

“Khojaly through the eyes of the children” exhibition was also organized within the rally, booklets containing information about the genocide, books published by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and videos about the genocide were distributed among the local residents and visitors.

The rally, where the flags of Azerbaijan, Turkey and France were hoisted, was attended by representatives of the Azerbaijani Embassy and Permanent Mission of Azerbaijan to UNESCO, activists of Azerbaijani diaspora and Turkish community and French friends of Azerbaijan.