Army commemorates March 31 - Day of Genocide of Azerbaijanis

By Azernews

By Vugar Khalilov

The Azerbaijani army conducted a series of events to commemorate the 104th anniversary of March 31 - the Day of the Genocide of Azerbaijanis, the Defence Ministry has reported.

The commemoration events were held under Defence Minister Col-Gen Zakir Hasanov's instruction in the Army Corps, formations, military units, and special educational institutions of the army.

A minute of silence was observed at the start of the events to honor the memory of the genocide victims, as well as national leader Heydar Aliyev and the martyrs who gave their lives for the territorial integrity of Azerbaijani territories. The national anthem of Azerbaijan was played.

The speakers at the events in Khojaly's Farrukh village, as well as in other parts of the country, emphasized the significance of the annual state-level commemoration of March 31 – the Day of the Azerbaijani Genocide, as declared by national leader Heydar Aliyev on March 26, 1998.

They also highlighted Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's and the Heydar Aliyev Foundation's efforts to bring the horrors of the Armenian genocide against the Azerbaijani people to the world's attention.

The events featured literary-artistic compositions, photos, and films created by the army Ideological and the Hazi Aslanov Cultural Center, the Ganja Garrison Ideological and Cultural Center, regional art representatives, and schoolchildren.

The servicemen visited the memorials of genocide victims and offered lectures on the topic in socio-political training sessions.

In a Twitter post on March 31, Turkey’s National Defence Ministry paid tribute to the genocide victims.

"We honor the memory of our Azerbaijani Turkic brothers who were subjected to genocide by Armenian gangs 104 years ago, and share the pain of the friendly and fraternal Azerbaijani people," the ministry wrote.

On March 31, Azerbaijan commemorates the 104th anniversary of the genocide committed by Armenians against Azerbaijani civilians in the early 20th century.

In 1918, the Armenian nationalists committed acts of genocide against the civilian population almost on the entire territory of Azerbaijan. More than 50,000 Azerbaijani citizens became victims of Armenian fascism over five months.

Azerbaijanis were exposed to genocide in Baku, Guba province, Shamakhi, Gusar, Erivan, Nakhchivan, Zangazur, Karabakh, Lankaran and practically all Azerbaijani lands.