Monday, February 27 2023 11:07

ArmInfo. Bowing to the memory of the innocent victims of the tragedy in Sumgayit, we should, more than ever, demonstrate our invincible will to protect the inviolable rights of our compatriots of Artsakh to live peacefully and prosperously in their ancient homeland, President Vahagn Khachaturyan said in a statement on the 35th anniversary of the massacre of Armenians in Sumgait.

"we should unite our potential and courage for the sake of our  citizens, for the sake of a safe and peaceful future for our  generations," the President added.

Below is President Vahagn Khachaturyan's message in full:

Dear compatriots,

Today we commemorate the victims of the massacre of Armenians in  Sumgait, in 1998. The sanguinity that took place 35 years ago clearly  demonstrated the policy of the Azerbaijani authorities, the aim of  which was to forcefully displace and dispossess the Armenians living  and creating in their own homeland.

It was the impunity of the Sumgait tragedy that shortly after led to  the unleashing of such barbarities in Baku, Gandzak and elsewhere,  and, in fact, the Azerbaijani authorities tried to execute their  policy of ethnic cleansing in Nagorno Karabakh as well, rising the  just protest and resistance of our compatriots.

Our compatriots in Artsakh stood to defend their inalienable rights  to live in their thousand-year Motherland in peace and safety.  Unfortunately, 35 years after the tragedy in Sumgait, the Armenians  in Artsakh are once again at the crossroads of defending their right  to live in their home, in their Motherland.

Dear compatriots,

Armenian Diaspora,

For centuries on end, our people have tasted the joy of victory and  the bitterness of losses, but we never strived for war, we tried to  live and create with our passion and constructive effort, in our  homes, in our Motherland, understanding perfectly well the price of  war and peace, and knowing that there are no winners in the  catastrophe of wars.

Today, bowing to the memory of the innocent victims of the tragedy in  Sumgayit, we should, more than ever, demonstrate our invincible will  to protect the inviolable rights of our compatriots of Artsakh to  live peacefully and prosperously in their ancient homeland, we should  unite our potential and courage for the sake of our citizens, for the  sake of a safe and peaceful future for our generations.

I wish peace to our people, strong will and welfare to our  compatriots in Artsakh.