Prior to the opening of a regular four-day session of the Armenian parliament the MPs commemorated the victims of the 1988 Sumgait pogroms with a minute of silence.

Armenian Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan noted tragic events in Sumgait and other Azerbaijani cities revealed Azerbaijan’s true colors. He stressed massacres of Armenians in Azerbaijan in the end of 20 century proved genocides can repeat until world recognizes and condemns them.

As a result of three-day long pogroms in the Azerbaijani city of Sumgait dozens of Armenians were killed, many of them - burned alive after beatings and torture, hundreds were wounded. Many women, including under-age girls, were, raped. According to official information, 26 Armenians were killed another 100 were seriously injured.