Statement by the Foreign Ministry of Armenia on the 35th anniversary of the massacres in Baku
These days mark the 35th anniversary of the massacres, ethnic cleansing, and mass deportations of Armenians in Baku. Within a week, Azerbaijani organized groups, operating in an atmosphere of complete impunity and with the indulgence and support of the Azerbaijani authorities, as well as amid the total inaction of Soviet authorities, committed heinous crimes against Armenians.
The overwhelming majority of Armenians were forced to leave their homes, despite the fact that the Armenian community had played a significant role in the construction and development of the industrial city of Baku since the mid-19th century, and Armenian families and individuals had founded, owned and managed large industrial enterprises, cultural and educational institutions. As a result, the Armenians of Baku left behind property and wealth worth billions, subsequently being deprived of any opportunity to receive compensation for their losses.
The January 1990 massacre of the Armenian population in Baku, which was aimed at forcibly expelling the remnants of the once 250,000-strong Armenian community, was preceded by larger-scale massacres in the Azerbaijani cities of Sumgait and Kirovabad (now Ganja).
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As a result of the massacres of Armenians in Azerbaijan in the late 1980s and early 1990s, approximately 400,000 Armenians were expelled from the country. Moreover, the millennia-old Armenian traces in cities of Azerbaijan were deliberately erased, and their rich history and heritage were falsified.
Paying tribute to the memory of the victims and survivors of the Baku massacres, Armenia firmly believes that lasting peace in the South Caucasus is the only way to prevent such crimes against humanity from recurring in the future.