Armenian MFA on  34th anniversary of Maragha massacres: Sustainable  peace requires an environment free of  rhetoric of enmity

ArmInfo.Sustainable peace requires an environment free of rhetoric of enmity and strong commitment to addessingg humanitarian issues, as noted in a statement by the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), published on  X, on the occasion of the 34th anniversary of the Armenian pogroms in the village of Maragha in  Martakert region of the northern Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (Artsakh).

"34 years have passed since the Armenian village of Maragha was  subjected to a preplanned  and brutal massacre on April 10, 1992. The  atrocities in Maragha were not an isolated event, but a continuation  of the systematic violence previously witnessed during the pogroms in  Sumgait, Kirovabad, and Baku. Evidence of this violence, recorded by  HRW and Amnesty International, highlights the tragic consequences  that follow when systemic hatred and persistent impunity remain  unaddressed," the statement reads. 

As the Armenian Foreign Ministry recalled, as a result of the  pogroms, over 50 civilians were killed, including 30 women, while  5,000 residents were forcibly displaced by Azerbaijani forces.  Additionally, according to the Ministry, 29 women and nine children  were taken hostage during the attack, while the fate of 19  individuals remains unknown to this day. 

"Honoring the memory of the victims and the missing requires more  than just tribute: it demands a genuine commitment to preventing the  recurrence of such crimes. Armenia remains dedicated to this  approach, emphasizing that a sustainable peace requires an  environment free of rhetoric of enmity and strong commitment to  addressing humanitarian issues and advancing reconciliation," the  Armenian Foreign Ministry concluded.

It should be noted that on April 10, 1992, after several hours of  artillery shelling, Azerbaijani armed units invaded Maragha. A  significant portion of the population had been evacuated, but those  remaining in the village were subjected to inhumane torture and  murder by Azerbaijani soldiers. Artsakh's self-defense forces managed  to liberate Maragha, but two weeks later, Azerbaijani troops attacked  the village again and committed further crimes against residents who  had returned to bury their relatives. Maragha was captured by  Azerbaijani armed forces and remains under Azerbaijani occupation to  this day. The massacre of the Armenians of Maragha was another  manifestation of the consistent policy of ethnic cleansing carried  out by the Azerbaijani authorities against members of the Armenian  nation, first in Sumgait, then in Baku and other settlements in  Azerbaijan in 1988-1990, and later in Northern Artsakh.