“In the beginning of 1992 Azerbaijan was using Khojaly with the purpose of bombarding NKR capital Stepanakert, which resulted in homes, schools, hospitals and governmental houses being destroyed. Azerbaijan turned the Khojaly region into a stronghold for random bombardments – banning entry to the only airport of Karabakh, which was used for supplying medicine and food.

Moreover, Azerbaijan was using Khojaly as a high point for bombarding Stepanakert and the Armenian populated villages in the vicinity. The neutralization of Khojaly by the self-defense forces of NKR was justified in terms of saving the civilian population.

After initiating the operation of neutralizing Khojaly, the civilian population used the humanitarian corridor of the Armenian forces – for heading to the city of Aghdam which was under the control of Azerbaijani forces. Howvwer, here, a bloody new event was waiting for them.

Since then, Baku adopted a policy of falsifying all facts and documents over this humanitarian disaster and instead inseminating horror and hatred among the international community towards Armenians.

Falsifying photos is one of the many methods used by Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan is using the photos of the Kosovo War, victims of the 1983 Turkey earthquake, children suffering from famine in Afghanistan, as well as bodies of Hamas militants in Palestine, presenting them to be Azerbaijanis killed by Armenians.

The obligation of all of us is one – to raise awareness and not to believe the false facts of Azerbaijan.

The goal of the furious propaganda around the “Khojaly” events is distracting the attention of the international community from the massacres of Armenians in Sumgait, Baku, Kirovabad and other locations in Azerbaijan, and the cleansing of 28 villages and the tragic events of Maragha village. Actions, which imply legal prosecution.

The goal of the propaganda is also to damage the international reputation of Armenia through falsifying facts and speculating the memory of the civilian population who were victims of Azerbaijan’s domestic intrigues and struggle for power.

The real perpetrator of this tragedy is the National Front, which was led by Abulfaz Elchibey, who assumed the presidency after those events. These events were manipulated to get rid of then acting president Mutalibov.

So, the entire responsibility for the death of civilians in the Aghdam region, which was under control of Azerbaijan, falls on the political and military leadership of Azerbaijan.

The Azerbaijani propaganda still doesn’t answer the following simple questions. Why were the victims’ bodies discovered near Aghdam region, which was under the control of Azerbaijani forces and the Azerbaijani base. Why was the entire civilian population relocated, despite radio and loudspeaker warnings of an upcoming Armenian operation.

In the following years, public activities, reporters, who attempted to reveal the truth over those events, were either imprisoned under the pretext of being spies or died in unknown circumstances. This is why no one dares to demand the leadership to reveal the truth over those events in Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan continues to incite intolerance and hatred towards Armenians in its society, and this policy hinders the efforts on building bridges between the Armenian and Azerbaijani peoples”, the article says.

Al-Watan is one of the leading newspapers in Syria, operating since 2006.