Yerevan: Baku pogrom completed Azerbaijan's ethnic cleansing of Armenian population

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Baku pogrom of January 1990 completed the ethnic cleansing campaign launched by Azerbaijan against its Armenian population, the Armenian Foreign Ministry said Wednesday, January 13 to mark the 31st anniversary of the tragic events.

The Armenian population which was an essential part of then Baku’s multicultural identity was subjected to massacres and mass deportation carried out with particular cruelty. Hundreds were murdered, maimed, many went missing, tens of thousands became refugees.

"The anti-Armenian policy of the authorities of Azerbaijan targeted not only the Armenian population living and prospering in Baku for centuries, but also the Armenian historical-cultural heritage of the city. So far, the masterminds and perpetrators of the anti-Armenian massacres in Baku have not been held accountable, and they continue to be glorified as heroes," the Foreign Ministry said.

"Moreover, to date, Azerbaijan continues the very policy of ethnic cleansing and annihilating Armenians in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh). A vivid evidence of that is the wiping out of the entire Armenian population from the territories that fell under the Azerbaijani control, which was accompanied with massive war crimes and ethnic cleansing."

"Today by paying tribute to the innocent victims of the anti-Armenian massacres in Baku, we once again emphasize the joint commitment of the Republic of Armenia, Republic of Artsakh and the Armenians all over the world to ensure the right of all Armenians to free, secure and dignified life in their homeland," the Ministry added.