Baku: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on March 31 – Day of Genocide of Azerbaijanis, APA reports.
According to Azeri-Press News Agency, the statement marks the 108th anniversary of the atrocities committed by radical Armenian groups against Azerbaijani people. The statement details the events of March 1918, when armed units of the Baku Soviet, along with members of the ‘Dashnaksutyun’ party, targeted Azerbaijani communities in acts of ethnic cleansing. Historical records, including disclosures by Stepan Shaumyan, then Extraordinary Commissar of the Caucasus, confirm that these acts were carried out under the guise of combating counter-revolutionary forces but were motivated by ethnic hatred.
The statement reveals that tens of thousands of Azerbaijanis were killed in regions such as Baku, Shamakhi, Guba, Garabagh, Zangezur, Nakhchivan, Shirvan, and Iravan. In Quba alone, over 16,000 civilians lost their lives, and 167 settlements were destroyed. The systematic targeting also included the destruction of religious and cultural sites, such as mosques and historical monuments.
Following the establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, institutions were created to investigate these events and inform the international community. However, the fall of the Republic impeded a political and legal assessment of these crimes. A proper evaluation was only achieved after Azerbaijan regained independence, with the Decree on the ‘Genocide of Azerbaijanis’ signed on 26 March 1998 by National Leader Heydar Aliyev.
The statement further asserts that the genocide policy of the early 20th century continued into later periods. It escalated towards the end of the century with the mass deportation of Azerbaijanis from present-day Armenia, the massacres during the occupation of Azerbaijan’s territories, notably the Khojaly genocide, and other war crimes. The statement emphasizes that the people of Azerbaijan will never forget these tragic chapters of their history.
On March 31, the Day of Genocide of Azerbaijanis, the nation commemorates with deep sadness the memory of all compatriots who became victims of ethnic hatred and genocide. “May Allah rest their souls in peace,” the statement concludes.