25th Anniversary of Sumgait Tragedy Commemorated in New York

28 February, 2013

These days, events commemorating the tragic anniversary of the February 1988 massacres of Armenians in the town of Sumgait (Azerbaijan) are being held in New York city.

On February 24, a requiem was performed in St Vartan Cathedral which was presided by the Primate of Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America, H.E. Archbishop Khajag Barsamian and attended by the Permanent Representative of Armenia to the UN, Ambassador Garen Nazarian, representatives of the community organizations and a large number of members of Armenian-American community, including the massacre survivors who narrowly escaped from Azerbaijan and found refuge in the United States.

The requiem has followed by a program where Ambassador Nazarian, as a key note speaker, has particularly talked about the need to stay alert, confront and unmask the dangerous propaganda campaign of Azerbaijan which in different countries including in the United States tries to falsify the history of peoples in the region by portraying itself as a victim and covering up its genocidal policies against the Armenians. The Ambassador urged everyone to stay united with the Armenian state, community organizations and the Armenian church to counter Azerbaijan’s aggression against our history, culture and spiritual values, sovereignty and the indispensable right of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh to self-determination.

On February 27, the AGBU New York Office hosted the commemorative event entitled “Nagorno-Karabakh: From Sumgait Memories to Independent State” screening the “Ordinary Genocide” movie and showcasing a photo exhibition on reach cultural legacy of Artsakh.

The speakers for the evening were Ambassador Garen Nazarian and Robert Avetisyan, Representative of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic–Artsakh to the United States. In his remarks, Garen Nazarian mentioned that 25years aftertheSumgaitmassacresthe authorities inAzerbaijan bear the primary responsibility to provide accountability for violations of international humanitarian and human rights law of hundred thousands of Armenians who were forced to flee their homes and properties as a result of genocidal killings and aggression. According to Ambassador, the international community must effectively seek thorough compliance by Azerbaijan with the norms of international law since endingimpunity for thecrimes perpetrated againstthe Armenians inthe Azerbaijanicities and for theaggressioncarried outinthe region is vital for establishing asustainable peace andjustice in the region.

Participants included the representatives of the Armenian-American organizations, staff of Armenia’s Permanent Mission and non-Armenian guests.

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