[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 31 (Tuesday, February 25, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E239]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        RECOGNIZING THE 22ND ANNIVERSARY OF THE KHOJALY MASSACRE

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. STEVE COHEN

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 25, 2014

  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 22nd 
anniversary of the Khojaly massacre in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of 
Azerbaijan. Khojaly, once the home to 7,000 people, was the site of the 
largest killing of ethnic Azerbaijani civilians in the course of the 
Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict. On February 25, 1992, Armenian armed 
forces descended on Khojaly killing 613 people, of which 106 were women 
and 83 were children. Fifty-six people were reported to have been 
killed with extreme cruelty and torture. In addition, 1,275 people were 
taken hostage, 150 went missing and 487 people became disabled. Also 
according to records that have been maintained, 76 of the victims were 
teenagers, 8 families were wiped out and 25 children lost both of their 
parents while 130 lost one of their parents.
  The extent of the cruelty of this massacre against women, children 
and the elderly was unfathomable. Today, the Nagorno-Karabakh region is 
under Armenian occupation, and this year's anniversary serves to remind 
us of the need to redouble efforts to help resolve the Armenia-
Azerbaijan conflict. As the U.S., Russia and France are co-chairs of 
the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe's (OSCE) Minsk 
Group, which is charged with finding a peaceful solution to the 
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, we all must work diligently to bring about a 
swift end to this ongoing conflict.
  The United States and Azerbaijan enjoy a strong partnership based on 
shared strategic interests. Our countries share many values, including 
a vision for greater diversity and tolerance as well as respect for 
minorities and gender rights. We have worked together to prevent the 
spread of extremism and Azerbaijan's vital contribution to the U.S.-led 
operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and Kosovo cannot be understated. The 
United States, along with our European allies, also recognize 
Azerbaijan's leadership role in bringing stability to energy markets in 
the region and abroad.
  Mr. Speaker, Azerbaijan is a strong ally and friend of the United 
States in a strategically important and complex region of the world. As 
Azerbaijanis around the world observe this painful chapter in their 
country's history and remember lost loved ones, let us remember our 
support of peaceful efforts to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict 
and reforms that promote regional stability. I ask my colleagues to 
join me and our Azerbaijani friends in commemorating the tragedy that 
befell the town of Khojaly.

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