“We honor the memory of hundreds of Armenians who were killed,” – Foreign Ministry statement on Sumgait massacres anniversary

“In these days of remembrance of the victims of the 1988 Sumgait massacres orchestrated by Azerbaijani SSR forces, we honor the memory of hundreds of Armenians who were killed. Around half a million were forcibly displaced. Remembrance is not only about reflecting on the past. It is a reaffirmation of our shared responsibility to uphold human rights, reject hatred & hate speech in all its forms, while working steadfastly toward reconciliation & lasting peace,” the foreign ministry said in a statement on X.

The lack of accountability and legal assessment for the mass atrocity committed against the Armenian population in Sumgait on February 27–29, 1988, created a false sense of impunity among the Azerbaijani authorities. Months later, during rallies held in Baku, portraits of the Sumgait killers appeared, accompanied by the slogans “Long live the heroes of Sumgait.”

Impunity led to terrorism against the Armenian population taking on a widespread character throughout the entire territory of Azerbaijan. As a result of the wave of anti-Armenian pogroms that swept through the Azerbaijani SSR between 1988 and 1991, hundreds of Armenians were killed, tens of thousands were forcibly expelled, and hundreds of thousands became refugees.