City wiped off the face of the earth for one night

As the acts of genocide in Khatyn, Lidice and Oradour, the Khojaly tragedy also became the bloody event added in history of civilization  

The night from February 25 to 26, 1992, has been recorded in black letters in history of the Azerbaijani people.

That night the Armenian armed formations with the support of military staff and armored technique of 366th motor-rifle regiment billeted in the city of Khankendi, the majority of staff of which were Armenians, have wiped the city of Khojaly off the face of earth.

As the acts of genocide in Khatyn, Lidice and Oradour, the Khojaly tragedy also became the bloody event added in history of civilization.

This mass slaughter committed by the Armenian aggressors against the Azerbaijani people, has led to death of 613 people, including 106 women, 63 children and 70 old men. 487 people have been wounded, 1275 civilians were taken as hostages, and 150 people are missing up to know. >>> 

OSCE Minsk Group issues statement on results of Athens meeting

They noted the positive dynamic in the talks, demonstrated through six meetings this year between the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia

The Heads of Delegation of the OSCE Minsk Group, Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergei Lavrov, Foreign Minister of France Bernard Kouchner, and Deputy Secretary of State of the United States James Steinberg issued a statement Tuesday following a meeting with the Foreign Ministers Elmar Mammadyarov of Azerbaijan and Edward Nalbandian of Armenia on the sidelines of the 17th OSCE Ministerial Council, Athens (1-2 December).

They noted the positive dynamic in the talks, demonstrated through six meetings this year between the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia.

They agreed that the increasing frequency of these meetings has significantly contributed to an enhanced dialogue between the parties and forward movement toward finalizing the Basic Principles for the Peaceful Settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, proposed in Madrid on November 29, 2007. >>>

Turkey-Armenia: Too steep for “zero-problems with neighbors” theory

Turkey has also legitimized itself as a permanent actor and acceptable broker in the affairs of the south Caucasus

Turkey`s English Daily “Hurriyet Daily News and Economic Review” published on 25 October Adil Bagirov`s article entitled Turkey-Armenia: Too steep for “zero-problems with neighbors” theory.

AzerTAc presents the full text of this article:

“As a rule, the art of successful politics and diplomacy, whose fundamental objective is to resolve problems, always aims to improve the ranking and position of a nation-state when there is a seeming balance, to preserve the status quo if someone is trying to change that balance or to do damage-control and stall the decline brought by forces outside its control for as long as possible.

However, the aim is never to worsen the country`s short-, medium- and long-term posture, goals and objectives – what is sometimes referred to as the national interest of the state. Regrettably at the moment, it seems to be the case that Turkey`s policy of “zero-problems with neighbors,” has resulted in the worsening of its geo-strategic stance in the south Caucasus and Caspian regions. >>>

Regional analyst: Turkey-Armenia accords may heighten tension in South Caucasus

There is still much concern from Baku that Ankara could go forward with Yerevan without waiting for the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh to be decided

News.Az interviews Eugene Chausovsky, an analyst at STRATFOR global intelligence company.

As you know, Turkey and Armenia have signed a protocol on the development of bilateral relations and a protocol on the establishment of diplomatic ties in Zurich. Will the signing of these documents and the opening of the Armenian-Turkish border have any impact on the situation in the South Caucasus, considering the unresolved conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh?

According to what Turkey has told Azerbaijan, Ankara will not open its border with Armenia until the Nagorno-Karabakh issue between Armenia and Azerbaijan is resolved or has made substantial progress.

However, the protocols signed between Armenia and Turkey have yet to be ratified by both country's parliaments and could still face potential deadlock, particularly in Armenia. That said, the signing of the protocols was significant, if only symbolically, but may serve to further ignite tensions in the South Caucasus rather than resolve them. >>>