It's not yet late to demand compensation from Baku

PanARMENIAN.Net - Representatives of all Armenian political forces visited Tuesday Tsitsernakaberd to lay flower wreaths on the khachkkar (cross-stone) commemorating the victims of Armenian pogroms in Baku.



"We must never think that Armenian diplomacy missed the chance for demanding compensation from Azerbaijan," ARFD parliamentary group leader Vahan Hovhannisyan said.



"We must demand the independence of Karabakh and the surrounding security zone in return for the death and sufferings of hundreds and thousands of Armenians," he noted.



For his part, Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan said, "Our compatriots were killed in Baku just because of being Armenians. The lost their lives because of Armenian people's century old struggle for independence. This is what we should focus on while commemorating victims of Armenian pogroms."



"A question arises as to what extent Armenians are protected in world's different parts. Don't they face new threats and challenges?" Mr. Sargsyan said, adding that an independent and powerful state is the only guarantee for Armenia.



The ceremony was also attended by Yerevan Mayor Gagik Beglaryan, Diaspora Minister Hranush Hakobyan and representatives from political parties (Republican, Heritage and ARFD). Participants (about 500 people) also laid flowers on the tomb of Artsakh war hero Movses Georgisyan.



In January 1990, Azerbaijani authorities instigated the Armenian pogroms in Baku. Some 400 Armenians were killed and 200 thousand were exiled in the period of January 13-19, 1990. The exact number of those killed was never determined, as no investigation was carried out into the crimes.



On January 13, a crowd numbering 50 thousand people divided into groups and started "cleaning" the city of Armenians. On January 17, the European Parliament called on EU Council of Foreign Ministers and European Council to protect Armenians and render assistance to Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. On January 18, a group of U.S. Senators sent a letter to Mikhail Gorbachev to express concerns over the violence against the Armenian population in Azerbaijan and called for unification of Nagorno Karabakh with Armenia.