On March 30, the Azerbaijan Trade Union Confederation (ATUC) held an online event dedicated to March 31 – the Day of the Genocide of Azerbaijanis.
The event was attended by ATUC executives, as well as chairmen and officials of member and subordinate organizations.
First, a minute of silence was observed in memory of the victims of the genocide committed against Azerbaijanis in March-April 1918, as well as our sons and daughters who died for the protection of the independence and territorial integrity of our homeland Azerbaijan.
Then, ATUC Chairman, MP Sattar Mohbaliyev spoke about the policy of genocide committed by Armenian nationalists against Azerbaijanis.
He said that after the Gulustan and Turkmenchay agreements, when Armenians began to be resettled in Azerbaijan, they committed genocide. With this artificial territorial division, the policy of expulsion and destruction of Azerbaijanis from their lands was laid. Then the dream of a “greater Armenia” arose. Inspired by this so-called idea, the Armenian invaders carried out large-scale bloody actions against the Azerbaijanis in 1905-1907. The atrocities started by the Armenians from Baku covered Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijani villages in the territory of present-day Armenia. Hundreds of settlements were destroyed, thousands of Azerbaijanis were brutally killed.
The ATUC chairman stressed that the genocides committed by Dashnak-Bolshevik armed groups against the Azerbaijani people in March-April 1918 were one of the bloodiest tragedies not only in the history of Azerbaijan, but also in the history of mankind. as well as in other cities and districts of Baku province, tens of thousands of civilians were killed precisely because of their ethnic and religious affiliation. Settlements were destroyed, cultural monuments, mosques and other places of worship were destroyed. The massacres and looting that began in the Baku province continued in Karabakh, Zangazur, Nakhchivan, Yerevan, Goycha and other regions. In March-July 1918 alone, Armenian militants killed more than 50,000 Azerbaijanis in Baku, Shamakhi, Guba, Mugan, Lankaran and Goychay. 110 villages of Shamakhi district, 167 villages of Guba district, more than 150 villages of Karabakh, 115 villages of Zangazur district were burned and looted, and the civilian population was brutally beaten without any distinction. By the way, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that during the bloody events of 1918, along with the Turkish-Muslim population in Ganja, Guba and other regions of Azerbaijan, about 3,000 Jewish brothers and sisters were brutally killed by Armenian bandits.
The chairman of the confederation noted that 80 years later, the Decree on the Genocide of Azerbaijanis signed by the national leader of the Azerbaijani people Heydar Aliyev on March 26, 1998 officially mentioned the genocides against Azerbaijanis for the first time. A political assessment was made of the abominable actions of the anti-Azerbaijani forces, which saw the main way to realize their dream in the destruction and resettlement of Azerbaijanis, the destruction of their historical and cultural monuments, and the renaming of places.
According to him, thousands of Lezgians, Jews, Tats and other national minorities were killed in the mass grave in Guba, along with Azerbaijanis killed as a result of genocide: “President Ilham Aliyev December 30, 2009 The Genocide Memorial Complex was established in Guba to inform the world community about the criminal actions of Armenian nationalists, protect the national memory of future generations of the Azerbaijani people and perpetuate the memory of the victims of the genocide. Also, by the Order of President Ilham Aliyev signed on January 28, 2018 on the 100th anniversary of the genocide of Azerbaijanis in 1918, this event was widely celebrated not only in Azerbaijan, but also by our compatriots, diaspora organizations and embassies abroad.
The MP said that we witnessed the Armenian savagery during the 44-day Patriotic War, which ended with our historic victory: “The enemy, unable to withstand the victory march of the Azerbaijani Army, committed war crimes by targeting civilians. and other cities were shelled with ballistic missiles, phosphorus and cluster bombs. As a result, about 100 civilians, including children and women, were killed. More than 400 civilians were injured, more than 5,000 homes were destroyed and damaged.
“Today we can proudly say that the response to the insidious actions of the Armenians was duly given. One of the most prominent commanders of our millennial glorious history, Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev managed to change the course of history, liberated our occupied lands and saved the Azerbaijani people from the whirlpool of defeat, thus opening a new glorious page in Azerbaijani history. In just 44 days, the 30-year occupation of Armenia was ended, and an army created for aggressive purposes and carrying out this ugly mission was destroyed. “Azerbaijan has solved the violated principles of international law, which international organizations have not been able to restore, and separatism, which is a constant threat to peace and security in the world, has been adequately responded to,” he said.
The ATUC chairman added that the new realities brought to the region by Azerbaijan under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev are based on peace and security and will give impetus to the development of the region. In this direction, landscaping work is being carried out in our liberated territories. Many projects have almost been completed. President Ilham Aliyev and First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva inaugurated new facilities. The work done once again shows that East Zangazur and Karabakh will be one of the most developed regions of Azerbaijan.
Vahid Ismayilov, Doctor of Philosophy in History of the Azerbaijan Academy of Labor and Social Relations, explained in detail the history and purpose of the resettlement of Armenians in Azerbaijan, the bitter consequences of this policy, the insidious actions of the Armenians, the real causes of the March 1918 genocide.
Chairman of the Free Trade Union of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences Habil Gurbanov and Chairman of the Trade Union of Baku Steel Company LLC Asif Abbasov shared their views on the genocides committed by Armenians against our people.
At the end of the event, S. Mohbaliyev stressed the importance of continuing to pay attention and care to the families of martyrs and veterans, war veterans.
The ATUC chairman stressed that under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, our country has become a leader in the region in all directions, and the unshakable unity of our people is at the root of these achievements.
Mohbaliyev expressed confidence that the close unity of our people around President Ilham Aliyev will lead us to the next, greater victories, and the Azerbaijani trade unions will do with dignity all the work for the sake of this unshakable unity.