35th Anniversary of the Sumgait Tragedy: President's Address

President Vahagn Khachaturyan has issued a message on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the Sumgait tragedy. According to the President's Office of Armenia, the message states:

“Dear compatriots, Today we commemorate the victims of the Armenian massacres organized in the city of Sumgait in 1988. The bloody events that took place 35 years ago clearly revealed the policies adopted by the Azerbaijani authorities, aimed at the violent displacement and dispossession of Armenians living and working in their homeland.

The impunity following the tragedy of Sumgait led to similar barbarities being unleashed shortly thereafter in Baku, Ganja, and elsewhere. Essentially, the Azerbaijani authorities attempted to implement their ethnic cleansing policy in Nagorno-Karabakh as well, provoking the justified protests and resistance of our compatriots.

Our compatriots in Artsakh stood up for their unalienable rights to live peacefully and securely in their ancient homeland, and this struggle continues to this day. Thirty-five years after the Sumgait tragedy, unfortunately, the Armenian people in Artsakh are again standing at the crossroads of defending their rights to live in their home, in their homeland.

Dear compatriots, Armenian diaspora, For centuries, our people have tasted both the ecstasy of victory and the bitterness of loss. However, our people have never aspired to war but have sought to live peacefully and create in their home, their homeland, with their spirit and creative energy—fully aware of the costs of both war and peace, understanding that there are no winners in the calamities of war.

Today, bowing before the memory of the innocent victims of the Sumgait tragedy, more than ever, we must, with united effort, showcase our indomitable will to protect the inalienable rights of our compatriots in Artsakh to live peacefully and securely in their ancient homeland. We must consolidate our collective potential and strength for the sake of our citizens, for the safety and peaceful future of our generations.

Peace to our people, strong will, and prosperity to our compatriots in Artsakh.”