The National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic) today hosted a discussion that was devoted to the 30th anniversary of the Armenian pogroms in Baku and featured a keynote speech by Armenian American writer, professor, Candidate of Law, member of Westbrook City Council Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte, a survivor of the Baku pogroms, as reported the Department of Media and Public Relations of the National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh.

Among other attendees were Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Vahram Balayan, heads and members of factions and standing committees, state officials and survivors of the Baku pogroms.

The discussion began with a speech by Speaker of the National Assembly Ashot Ghulyan, who touched upon the special session of the Inter-Parliamentary Committee on Cooperation between the National Assemblies of the Republic of Artsakh and the Republic of Armenia and the declaration adopted by the Committee, underscoring its importance in terms of speaking out against and condemning the Baku pogroms once again.

“My relatives scattered across the globe after the pogroms and now live in different countries, and we don’t know each other. This is our misery. I feel like a refugee everywhere I go,” Anna Astvatsaturian said, adding that, unfortunately, there has not been a comprehensive state approach to the issue to this day, but the recent session of the interparliamentary committee in Armenia was the first step towards that.

In his speech, Professor Alexander Manasyan attached importance to the search for ways to popularize and advance information about the Baku pogroms. Talking about Azerbaijan’s anti-Armenian propaganda, the professor said genocide is a national policy for Azerbaijan.

Summing up the meeting, the parliamentary speaker stated that both Armenia and Artsakh need to prepare a package of documents about the events that took place in 1988-90 which will be the most correct substantiation of why Artsakh can’t be a part of Azerbaijan in terms of sovereignty and jurisdiction.

At the end of the meeting, the attendees respected the memory of the victims of the Baku pogroms with a moment of silence.