Leyla Abdullayeva responds to Armenian Foreign Ministry

"We have repeatedly responded to the completely baseless and false allegations made by the Armenian Foreign Ministry in connection with the events in Sumgayit. We emphasize once again that the bloody events committed in late February 1988 in Sumgayit, Azerbaijan, were a deliberate and planned provocation against Azerbaijan," said Leyla Abdullayeva, head of the press service of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, Report informs.

"We remind that the USSR Prosecutor General's Office opened a criminal case in connection with the incident, conducted an investigation, and identified the perpetrators of the riots and accomplices, as well as a total of 32 victims. Six Azerbaijanis were among the victims. We want to draw the attention of the Armenian Foreign Ministry to the fact that the perpetrator of the incident, Eduard Grigoryan, who led the march, personally killed six people and raped three women of Armenian descent, was an Armenian by nationality, and numerous Armenians testified about him in Sumgayit. Grigoryan, who was sentenced to 12 years in prison, was transferred to Armenia to serve his sentence and was later released.

"As a result of the trial in connection with the events of February 27-29, 1988, in Sumgayit, 92 people were sentenced to imprisonment, and one was sentenced to death. For comparison, no action was taken against those responsible for the deaths of 217 Azerbaijanis during the forced expulsion of Azerbaijanis from the densely populated regions of the Armenian SSR in the late 1980s.

"Armenia, which occupied 20% of Azerbaijan's territory for nearly thirty years, has committed numerous military and inhumane crimes, including the Khojaly genocide, as part of its aggressive policy. However, none of the perpetrators has been brought to justice.

"We remind the Armenian Foreign Ministry that the Republic of Azerbaijan has put an end to the decades-long military occupation of Armenia in a part of the internationally recognized sovereign territory and ensured its territorial integrity. Making false, baseless, and hostile statements instead of taking advantage of the new opportunities for cooperation and peace-building that are currently emerging in the region with the elimination of the occupation factor, demonstrate Armenia's true intention.

"As long as the Armenian government shows an uncompromising position based on lies, the Armenian people will, unfortunately, be deprived of peace and prosperity," Abdullayeva stressed.