[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 36 (Monday, February 28, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E184]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         OBSERVING THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE KHOJALY TRAGEDY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. ROBERT B. ADERHOLT

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, February 28, 2022

  Mr. ADERHOLT. Madam Speaker, our friends in Azerbaijan paused last 
week to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Khojaly tragedy and it 
is right that we join our allies in this remembrance.
  Since the beginning of the armed conflict between Armenia and 
Azerbaijan in the late 1980s, it is reported that the Khojaly tragedy, 
which happened on February 25 and 26, 1992, was the deadliest in this 
conflict, resulting in hundreds of lives lost, families devastated, and 
the town destroyed.
  Although a cease-fire was negotiated in 1994, the conflict is ongoing 
and flares periodically, most recently in 2020. It remains my hope and 
prayer that the barriers to peace that have persisted for the last 
three decades can be resolved.
  2022 also marks the 30th anniversary of the U.S. and Azerbaijan 
establishing diplomatic relations. Since then, Azerbaijan has been a 
key partner in the War on Terror, and the two nations share a Trade 
Relations Agreement and a Bilateral Investment Treaty.
  The anniversary of this tragedy is an appropriate time to remember 
the lives of all the men, women, and children who were killed, and to 
recommit to working together to prevent such atrocities from occurring 
again. Long-term peace, security, and regional cooperation are in the 
best interests of the entire region of the South Caucasus and the 
world.

                          ____________________