The ''Memory'' exhibition of paintings by Azerbaijani artists took place in Moscow at the Congress Park hotel Ukraine on the Kutuzov street in the context of the international information campaign "Justice for Khojaly".
Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and head of the Foundation in Russia, Chairlady of the Azerbaijani Youth Organization of Russia Leyla Aliyeva spoke at the opening of the exhibition.
"Dear guests, dear friends! First of all, I want to thank you for the fact that on that day, the Day of memory of victims of the Khojaly tragedy you share the grief of the Azerbaijani people with us. 24 years passed after this tragedy, but our pain hasn't reduced, and victims of this tragedy will forever remain in our memory of the Khojaly tragedy. It is the most terrible, bloody and inhuman page in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which lasts almost 30 years an the result of it 20% of Azerbaijani lands are still occupied... Architectural masterpieces are destroyed and historical monuments are erased. There are about one million refugees. Everything that connects this region with the Azerbaijani culture is destroyed on the occupied territories,'' Leyla Aliyeva said.
"On the night from February 25-26th in 1992 Armenian militants seized the Azerbaijani city of Khojaly and brutally killed 613 civilians, including 106 women, 70 old men and 63 children. They deprived of lives future doctors, engineers, teachers – those people who could make the life of Azerbaijan better, brighter and more interesting. The tragedy should be given a fair assessment by the international community, and perpetrators must be punished. The international campaign "Justice for Khojaly!" started in 2008. Our main goal is to bring the truth to the community world about the tragedy and do our best to prevent such tragedies in future. There should should be no place for such a brutal murder and violence in the world,'' Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation said.
"Today, our campaign Justice for Khojaly is supported by dozens of countries in the world, including Parliaments of Canada, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Pakistan, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania, the Czech Republic, Jordan, Sudan, Panama, Honduras. And the legislature of more than 10 states of the United States and the organization of Islamic cooperation recognized the genocide in Khojaly. We organize petitions to the highest international organizations, including the UN and the international court in The Hague, Leyla Aliyeva added.
The head of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation told in an interview with Vestnik Kavkaza that the main thing is to spread information in order to more people know about this tragedy in large parts of the world to prevent such tragedies in future, above all. Because that the world should have no place for such a brutal murders, violence. At the moment, our campaign Justice for Khojaly supported by 115 organizations and more than 120,000 people, but I think that after some time the number of people will increase, and more and more countries will recognize this genocide."
Entrepreneur, the first vice president of Crocus Group companies, singer, musician and songwriter Emin Agalarov gave an exclusive interview to a VK reporter:
"Probably, it will be said a lot about the importance of the today's event. It takes place each year in Moscow. We remember all those who died. Why is it important to visit such events? Because we should not forget such tragedies. That's why we are here today. It hard for me to tell about it because I was not directly tied with it. But every year we can hear eyewitnesses' opinions and those people who survived… Of course, it is impossible to listen without tears."
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Azerbaijan to Russia Polad Bulbuloglu makes speech
"Dear colleagues, ambassadors, representatives of the State Duma, representatives of the diplomatic corps, ladies and gentlemen, dear friends, now I consider it necessary to start my speech in my native language, and it's no coincidence.
The word "Khojaly" has become a household name for all Azerbaijanis who live in all parts of the world. And today there are a lot of young people, and I am sincerely glad that our youth is growing patriotic, understanding the goals and challenges of our respected President before our young people. The "Khojaly" word represents boundless injustice and inhumanity. The people of Azerbaijan are experiencing the worst manifestation of those atrocities through this word, which are determined in the modern humanitarian law as crimes against humanity. The exhibited works don't require translation into any language. Look at them, and you will see an expression of the pain of the Azerbaijani people,'' the ambassador said.
