Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of Türkiye, has offered condolences to the people of Azerbaijan on the 34th anniversary of the Khojaly massacre.
In a message shared on the Turkish social media platform NSosyal, Erdoğan said he remembers the Azerbaijani victims “with mercy and sorrow” and expressed sympathy to what he called the “friendly and brotherly people of Azerbaijan.” He stressed that the pain of the massacre is still deeply felt and will not be forgotten.
The Khojaly massacre refers to the killing of Azerbaijani civilians on February 26, 1992, in the town of Khojaly during the conflict in the Karabakh region. According to Azerbaijani figures, 613 civilians were killed, including women, children, and elderly people. Hundreds more were injured, and many were taken captive, with some still missing.
The tragedy took place during the First Karabakh War in the early 1990s, following the collapse of the Soviet Union. At the time, Armenian forces took control of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas, which are internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan.
After renewed fighting in 2020, Azerbaijan regained control of several territories in Karabakh. In September 2023, it established full sovereignty in the region after a military operation that led to the surrender of separatist forces.
Türkiye was among the first countries to recognize the events in Khojaly as a massacre and has consistently called for justice for the victims, while maintaining close political and cultural ties with Azerbaijan.
SOURCE: TRT NEWS
