Armenian MFA has issued a statement on Centennial of Armenian pogroms in Shushi.

The statement reads: “Today, we join our compatriots in Artsakh to pay a tribute to the memory of thousands of victims of the anti-Armenian massacres perpetrated in Shushi a century ago.

One hundred years ago, the armed units of the first republic of Azerbaijan attempted to resolve the Karabakh issue which had been already on the international agenda, by using force and mass killing of the civilian population.

As a result, the Armenian town of Sushi, a major economic, spiritual and cultural center of the region, was set on a fire and destroyed. This atrocity, committed by unprecedented cruelty, was led by Khosrov bey Sultanov, who later, during the World War II, actively participated in the formation of Azerbaijani legion in the ranks of the Nazi troops.

Nevertheless, the plan to make Artsakh a part of the first republic of Azerbaijan by sword and fire failed and it turned to be one of the reasons behind the loss of Azerbaijan’s independence .

Now, a century later we are paying tribute to the memory of all innocent victims and reaffirming the determination of the Armenian people to live and flourish in a free homeland.