RA MFA issues statement on 36th anniversary of pogroms of Armenians  in Baku

ArmInfo.The Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on the 36th anniversary of the pogroms of Armenians in Baku.

"These days, we honor the memory of the victims of the 36th  anniversary of the violence against the Armenians of Baku in the  Azerbaijan SSR. By embracing the path of peace, we emphasize that  firm rejection of such actions, coupled with a commitment to genuine  reconciliation and lasting peace in the South Caucasus, can ensure  that such tragedies never recur," the Armenian Foreign Ministry said  in a brief Twitter post.

On January 13, 1990, ethnically motivated mass unrest erupted in the  capital of Azerbaijan, accompanied by widespread violence against the  Armenian population, looting, murder, arson, and destruction of  property. According to various sources, between 48 and 90 people  (according to some sources, up to 300) were killed in the pogroms.  According to Human Rights Watch rapporteur Robert Kushen, "the  pogroms were not entirely spontaneous, as the perpetrators had lists  of Armenians and their addresses." At the beginning of the  Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, over 200,000 Armenians lived in Baku, out  of a total population of 1.7 million. In late February 1988, a pogrom  with numerous Armenian casualties occurred in Sumgait, which became a  landmark event and a turning point in the escalation of the Karabakh  conflict.