Azerbaijani MFA: We'd like to remind amnesia-suffering Armenian leadership Sargsyan's statement to Thomas de Waal

Baku. 25 January. REPORT.AZ/ "Taking into account that Armenian leadership and Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs suffer from institutional memory disorder and amnesia, we'd like to remind them Armenian then-defence minister and incumbent president Serzh Sargsyan's statement to British reporter Thomas de Waal".

Spokesperson of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), Hikmat Hajiyev told Report.

The MFA official noted that Serzh Sargsyan's statement was stated as a reference on page 172 of the book Black Garden: Armenia and Azerbaijan through Peace and War by Thomas de Waal. (Armenia’s then-Defense Minister and current President, Serzh Sargsyan, was quoted by the British journalist Thomas de Waal, as saying, “[b]efore Khojali, the Azerbaijanis thought that ... the Armenians were people who could not raise their hand against the civilian population. We were able to break that [stereotype]” ) (Thomas de Waal, Black Garden: Armenia and Azerbaijan through Peace and War (New York and London, New York University Press, 2003), p. 172)).

Thomas de Waal said that the interview had a voice recording.

Markar Melkonian, brother of Armenian national hero terrorist Monte Melkonian states on pages 213-214 of the book My Brother’s Road writes referring to Monte Melkonian, one of the perpetrators of the Khojaly genocide. (Author Markar Melkonian would later describe in his book how some residents of Khojaly had nearly reached safety after fleeing almost six miles but “[Armenian] soldiers chased them down”. The soldiers, he continues, “then unsheathed the knives they had carried on their hips for so long, and began stabbing” (My Brother’s Road: An American’s Fateful Journey to Armenia (London and New York, I. B. Tauris, 2005), pp. 213-214).)

According to contemporary international law, in addition to the Republic of Armenia, persons at Armenia's military-political leadership bear criminal responsibility for the Khojaly tragedy, which is a crime against humanity as well as a genocide.

If Armenia's military-political leadership dares to testify and international tribunal is established regarding the Khojaly genocide, within the investigation, the Azerbaijani prosecuting authorities may submit more detailed facts, including witness testimonies, forensic opinions proving their criminal responsibility regarding the Khojaly genocide".