Representative of the British Parliament’s Conservative Party, member of the UK-Azerbaijan interparliamentary friendship group Bob Blackman has called on his counterparts with petition 805 (Early day Motion) and launched a signature collection campaign on the 23rd anniversary of the Khojaly tragedy, the message of The European Azerbaijani Society (TEAS) said Feb.27.

The petition was published on the Biritsh Parliament’s website (https://azvision.az/redirect.php?url=http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/business-papers/commons/early-day-motions/edm-detail1/?session=2014-15&edmnumber=805), the message said.

The petition was signed by several MPs, according to the message.

The petition is to commemorate 613 civilians killed in an attack carried out on Khojaly town by the Armenian armed forces on 26 February 1992 and extend condolences to the Azerbaijani people.

The petition is also to call on the British Parliament to help the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict be peacefully settled in compliance with UN Security Council resolutions 822, 853, 874, and 884.

On February 25-26, 1992, the Armenian armed forces, together with the 366th infantry regiment of Soviet troops stationed in Khankendi committed an act of genocide against the population of the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly.

As a result of the massacre, some 613 people were killed, including 63 children, 106 women and 70 old people. Eight families were totally exterminated, 130 children lost one parent and 25 children lost both. A total of 487 civilians became disabled as a result of the onslaught. Some 1,275 innocent residents were taken hostage, while the fate of 150 people remains unknown.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently holding peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council`s four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.

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