[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 40 (Wednesday, March 3, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E201]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        RECOGNIZING THE 29TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE KHOJALY MASSACRE

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                            HON. STEVE COHEN

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, March 3, 2021

  Mr. COHEN. Madam Speaker, this past week marks the 29th anniversary 
of the massacre of hundreds of people in the town of Khojaly, 
Azerbaijan. This was the largest killing of ethnic Azerbaijani 
civilians during the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict. Khojaly, which is in 
the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, was once home to 7,000 
people. On February 26, 1992, Armenian armed forces massacred over 600 
unarmed people--including 106 women and 83 children--and left less than 
2,000 survivors. Hundreds more became disabled due to their injuries. 
More than 100 children lost a parent and 25 children lost both parents. 
At least 8 families were all killed. This is a devastating tragedy.
  A cease-fire was negotiated in 1994, but the conflict remains 
unresolved. In the wake of the 2020 fighting between Azerbaijan and 
Armenia in the Nagorno-Karabakh, it is my hope that Armenia and 
Azerbaijan can finally come to the table and find peace. Long-term 
peace, security, and regional cooperation are in the best interests of 
the entire region of the South Caucasus and the world.
  Azerbaijan has been a strong partner of the United States and its 
allies. This cooperation has included: playing a leadership role in 
nonproliferation issues; providing troops to serve shoulder-to-shoulder 
with U.S. forces in Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan; allowing transit of 
non-lethal equipment used by coalition forces through Azerbaijan to 
Afghanistan; construction of the Southern Gas Corridor from the Caspian 
Sea to Italy, thereby providing Europe with an alternative to Russian 
energy sources; and supplying 40 percent of Israel's oil. Azerbaijan 
also has a thriving Jewish community and has outstanding relations with 
Israel. As Azerbaijanis throughout the world commemorate the massacre 
and continue to grieve the loss of loved ones, I hope they can find 
peace amidst this tragedy.

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