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Head of Yahad-in Unum Organization Patrick Desbois: â€œWe want to hold symposium on contribution of Azerbaijan to the victory on fascism in October, Bakuâ€ - PHOTOSESSION - VIDEO

23 February 2012 17:09 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Victoria Dementeva â€“ APA. Head of Yahad-in Unum Organization Patrick Desbois visited Azerbaijan on anniversary of Khojaly genocide. According to APA, he held press conference. According to him, The aim of the visit to Azerbaijan is to study deeply the Jewish Holocaust committed in the World war II and the Khojaly tragedy of the Azerbaijani people late in the 20th century, do scientific research regarding the Jewsâ€™ escaping the massacre by moving to Azerbaijan, to study jointly Azerbaijanâ€™s support for the struggle against fascism in the World War II and inform the world community about it.

He also noted that, Azerbaijanâ€™s energy resources played important role in World War II: â€œAzerbaijan was one main targets for Hitler. He tried to get Baku oil. USSR won the war with the support of Azerbaijanâ€.

Desbois said that, they decided to hold symposium in October in Baku. Symposium will devote to killing of half million of Azerbaijanis in World War II, Azerbaijani oilers contribution to the victory, giving of Azerbaijan shelters to the thousands of Jews from Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova. US and European experts will be invited to the symposium.

Head of organization noted that, they saddened of exhibition of 20th anniversary of Khojaly genocide.

Then he noted that, he saw the Jews and Muslims living together in Guba.

About French law on Armenian genocide, he said the Yahad-in Unum was not a political organization: â€œOur target is to find the persons who committed these genocides and search their victims. We meet with the witnesses and victims of these genocides and work in archivesâ€.

President of Yahad â€“ In Unum Father Patrick Desbois and his colleagues, executive director of the organization Marco Gonzalez and researcher of Sorbonne University Andrey Umanski visited Azerbaijani educational institutions, including Khazar University, Baku Slavic University, Baku State University, delivered lectures on the World War II, its consequences and lessons, Azerbaijanâ€™s contributions to the victory in the war.

The guests also met with director of History Institute of Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, correspondent member of the academy Yagub Mahmudov and director of Azerbaijan National Archive Department Atakhan Pashayev.
The guests also participated in the photo exhibition of the French photographer Frederique Lengaigne at the Museum Center organized by The European Azerbaijan Society on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Khojaly genocide.

Note that, Yahadâ€“In Unum is the leading research organization investigating the mass executions of 1.5 million Jews and Roma/Gypsy people in Eastern Europe between 1941 and 1944. This is sometimes referred to as â€œThe Holocaust by Bulletsâ€. The team of Yahad â€“ In Unum travels from village to village, where they interview and film the surviving eyewitnesses, using testimony of witnesses to discover the locations of the graves. Up to now, more than 2000 interviews have been filmed. Researchers, journalists, education workers and the families wishing to find traces of their relatives can obtain these microfilms at the main office of Yahad â€“ In Unum. Established in 2004, Yahad â€“ In Unum has located a lot of mass graves in more than 600 cities of Ukraine, Belarus, Russia and Poland.