UPDATE 2 - Türkiye honors victims of Khojaly Massacre on 33rd anniversary

UPDATES WITH PRESIDENT'S REMARKS, CHANGES DECK, OTHER EDITS THROUGHOUT

By Gizem Nisa Cebi

ISTANBUL (AA) - Türkiye on Wednesday commemorated the 33rd anniversary of the Khojaly Massacre, remembering the mass killing of Azerbaijani civilians by Armenian forces in 1992 in the town of Khojaly in the Karabakh region.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his sorrow over the tragedy, saying on X: "On the 33rd anniversary of the Khojaly Massacre, a tragedy we will never forget, I remember with deep sorrow our Azerbaijani brothers who lost their lives."

He also extended his condolences to the people of Azerbaijan, emphasizing the unity between the two, saying: "We stand united in both good times and bad."

The Turkish Foreign Ministry also shared an official statement on its website: "We remember with mercy and respect the precious memory of our innocent Azerbaijani brothers who were massacred in Khojaly exactly 33 years ago, and we carry the pain of dear Azerbaijan in our hearts."

"We strongly condemn the massacre of innocent civilians by Armenian armed forces," it added.

The ministry also reiterated its condolences to the people of Azerbaijan.

"I respectfully commemorate our Azerbaijani brothers who lost their lives. Türkiye stands by our beloved Azerbaijan today and always," Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also said on X.

The Turkish National Defense Ministry called the massacre a "dark stain on history" and said it shares "the pain of its Turkic brothers."

-621 civilians killed

Soon after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Armenian forces took over the town of Khojaly in Karabakh on Feb. 26, 1992, after battering it with heavy artillery and tanks.

The town was the site of a two-hour Armenian offensive that killed 613 Azerbaijani civilians –including 106 women, 63 children, and 70 elderly people – and seriously injured 487 others, according to Azerbaijani figures.

Some 150 of the 1,275 Azerbaijanis that the Armenians captured during what has now been called the Khojaly massacre remain missing, while eight families were completely wiped out.

The Karabakh region was the site of mass killings and burials since the First Karabakh War in the early 1990s, during which the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh – a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan – and seven adjacent regions, including Khojaly.

In the fall of 2020, in 44 days of fighting, Azerbaijan liberated several cities, villages, and settlements in Karabakh from some 30 years of Armenian occupation.

In September 2023, the Azerbaijani army initiated an anti-terrorism operation in Karabakh to establish a constitutional order, after which illegal separatist forces in the region surrendered.

Türkiye was among the first countries to recognize the Khojaly incident as a massacre and has called for justice for its victims.