[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 2]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 2456-2457]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           REMEMBERING THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE KHOJALY TRAGEDY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. SOLOMON P. ORTIZ

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, February 25, 2008

  Mr. ORTIZ. Madam Speaker, I rise to commemorate the 16th anniversary 
of the Khojaly

[[Page 2457]]

tragedy, when on February 25-26, 1992, the town of Khojaly in the 
Nagorno Karabagh region of Azerbaijan was brutally attacked by Armenian 
forces. The town of Khojaly, which was home to 7,000 people, was 
completely destroyed; a total of 613 people were killed, of which 106 
were women and 83 were children, and 56 of whom are purported to have 
been killed with extreme cruelty and torture. Additionally, 1275 were 
taken hostage, 150 went missing; 487 people became disabled (76 of whom 
are teenagers); 8 families were wiped out; 25 children lost both of 
their parents, and 130 children lost one of their parents.
  The Khojaly massacre was not an isolated incident. In fact, the level 
of brutality and the atrocities committed at Khojaly set a pattern of 
destruction that Armenian troops would adhere to for the remainder of 
the Nagorno-Karabakh War.
  No one has been prosecuted for the crimes committed in Khojaly and, 
unfortunately, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict still remains.
  On January 21, 2008, Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov 
noted in the Wall Street Journal that it has been almost 14 years since 
the Armenia-Azerbaijan war ended in a Russian-mediated ceasefire, but 
Armenian troops remain on Azerbaijan's territory.
  Minister Mammadyarov opined: ``The so-called Minsk process, an OSCE-
led effort to find a peaceful, negotiated settlement to this conflict, 
has been helpful in providing the framework for dialogue between 
Azerbaijan and Armenia. It also gives an international dimension to 
this conflict. But we need to urgently conclude this process. 
Maintaining the status quo is just too costly.''
  Foreign Minister Mammadyarov contends that diplomacy is Azerbaijan's 
preferred solution. The resolution of this issue would not only improve 
bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia, it could also 
improve Armenia's relationship with Turkey.
  The resolution of the conflict would ensure regional security and 
economic growth. As Azerbaijan looks forward, it is also important to 
look back. While not forgetting the past, Azerbaijan is ready to 
resolve the conflict and move into the future.

                          ____________________