Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Artsakh on the anniversary of the massacre of the Armenian population of Shushi

On this day, 101 years ago, the authorities of the Republic of Azerbaijan, in collaboration with the regular Turkish army and numerous armed bandits, organized the massacre of the Armenian population of Shushi, almost completely destroying the historical capital of Artsakh. The Shushi genocide was the first manifestation of the aggressive policy of the artificially created state known as "Azerbaijan" towards Artsakh. As a result of this monstrous crime, thousands of Armenians were killed, tens of thousands were forced to flee the city, Armenian cultural heritage was destroyed, people’s property was looted, and holy sites were desecrated.

This tragic event was a signal for the policy that Azerbaijan was to adopt for the decades to come. The continuation of such inhumane actions became the state-level anti-Armenian policy carried out by Azerbaijan against the Armenian people since 1988, which was accompanied by oppression, ethnic cleansing, and massacres. The fact that the genocidal policy of Baku and Ankara has not received an adequate assessment from the international community, and that the perpetrators remained unpunished, led to Azerbaijan, with the support of Turkey and the involvement of international terrorists, to unleash a new aggression against Artsakh on September 27, 2020, cunningly seizing the Armenian stronghold city of Shushi.

The massacres of the Armenian population of Shushi in 1920 and the seizure of the city in 2020 are not only manifestations of the genocidal policy against Artsakh and the Armenian people, but also crimes against humanity and a gross violation of international law and norms. The Armenians of Artsakh will never reconcile with the loss of Shushi. Shushi has been, is, and will remain an inseparable part of Artsakh. Maximum efforts will be made for the de-occupation of the occupied territories of Artsakh and the restoration of historical justice.