Foreign

Home page

Foreign

Texas State Congressman John Zerwas issues resolution commemorating Azerbaijani Genocide Day

11 April 2011 08:32 (UTC +04:00)

The resolution commemorates the 93rd anniversary of massacre perpetrated by Armenian nationalists and Bolsheviks during March of 1918 when more than 12,000 Azerbaijanis, Jews, Persians, Kurds, Lezgins and Avars were brutally killed in Baku, Guba, Shamakhi, Shusha, Nakhchivan and Yerevan.

â€œThe event, which is often referred to as the "March Days," was an outcome of the ethnic, religious, and political tensions that had grown stronger in the Caucasus region of Europe following the Russian revolution of 1917 and the withdrawal of Russian troops from World War I early the following yearâ€, says the letter arguing that by March 1918, the possibility of a widespread civil conflict increased as Armenian, Azerbaijani and Bolshevik groups were involved in sporadic attacks, then, as the month drew to a close, the region exploded into several days of violence.

â€œIn the city of Baku, the fighting was particularly bloody, and there were also killings in other towns, including Shemakha, Guba and Shusha; in some areas, crowds raged through the streets, burning houses and slaying anyone they perceived as an enemy, estimates of the number of people killed in the range from 2,000 to as many as 12,000, including women, children, and other innocent civiliansâ€™, the resolution mentions.

According to the document, the passage of this date in the year 2011 provides an opportunity to reflect on the terrible loss of life that can result from the conflicts that arise between people of different ethnicities, religions, and political viewpoints, and the enduring need to resolve such disputes through dialog and negotiation rather than bloodshed.

â€œNow, therefore, be itâ€, says the author, â€œthat the anniversary of the 1918 killings in Azerbaijan be commemorated in solemn observance of that horrific eventâ€.