Baku: The Armenian Foreign Ministry’s allegations against Azerbaijan concerning the Sumgayit events are being challenged by Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. According to a statement by Aykhan Hajizada, Spokesperson of the Azerbaijani MFA, the claims made by the Armenian side not only lack a factual basis but also misrepresent historical events.
According to Azeri-Press News Agency, Hajizada emphasized that the Armenian Foreign Ministry’s statement, dated 27 February, attempts to obscure violent acts and the expulsion of Azerbaijanis from Armenia since the late 1980s. The Azerbaijani commentary highlights that these events were part of a larger provocation orchestrated by the USSR leadership, Armenia, and extremist organizations to push Armenia’s territorial claims against Azerbaijan. The Sumgayit unrest, they argue, was not an isolated incident but rather a planned provocation involving multiple parties.
The Azerbaijani MFA also pointed to the USSR prosecutor general’s investigation, which led to the identification of rioters and the acknowledgment of 32 victims, including 6 Azerbaijanis. This evidence, they claim, demonstrates that Azerbaijanis were not the instigators. The statement further reveals that an ethnic Armenian, Eduard Grigoryan, was identified as the instigator and perpetrator of several crimes during the events. Grigoryan was sentenced to 12 years in prison but was later relocated to Armenia, where he was released.
The statement contrasts the response to the Sumgayit events with the lack of accountability for the forceful deportation of approximately 300,000 Azerbaijanis from the Armenian SSR in the late 1980s, which led to over 200 Azerbaijani deaths. It also criticizes the Armenian Foreign Ministry for ignoring the absence of legal consequences for war crimes committed by Armenia, including the Khojaly massacre.
The Azerbaijani MFA concludes by urging the Armenian side to address the historical criminal acts within Armenia and against Azerbaijanis. They stress that Azerbaijan’s recent actions have been focused on restoring its territorial integrity and ending Armenia’s military occupation of Azerbaijani lands.