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Artsakh’s Foreign Ministry released a statement on the 102nd anniversary of the Armenian massacre in the town of Shushi commemorated on March 22. The full statement is provided below.

"Today we bow our heads before the memory of the innocent victims of the Genocide of the Armenian population of the town of Shushi, carried out by the authorities of the artificially created Azerbaijan Democratic Republic 102 years ago, from March 22 to March 26, 1920. Tens of thousands of people became victims of this monstrous crime caused by Azerbaijan's expansionist aspirations - many of them were brutally murdered, the survivors were expelled from their homes. Most of the city, which was not only the capital, but also the historical and cultural center of Artsakh, was completely destroyed and lay in ruins for several decades until it was demolished by the Azerbaijani authorities in the middle of the twentieth century.

The Shushi massacres, in which Turkish officers and emissaries took an active part, was aimed at transferring the Armenian Genocide to Eastern Armenia in the context of the implementation of pan-Turkic ideology.

This tragedy, horrifying in its cruelty, outlined the true goals of the Azerbaijani authorities in relation to Artsakh and the Armenian people and not only changed the demography of Shushi, but also left an indelible mark on the atmosphere of the city and predetermined the subsequent processes.

After almost 70 years, the Azerbaijani authorities again resorted to a proven tool in their arsenal - the massacre and deportation of the innocent Armenian population, organizing mass killings and pogroms in Sumgait, Baku, Gandzak (Kirovabad) and other settlements of the former Azerbaijani SSR.

In 2020, the tragedy was repeated again. Having occupied the city of Shoushi during the 44-day aggression against the Republic of Artsakh, Azerbaijan again expelled the Armenian population of the city.

Both in 1920 and 2020, Azerbaijan sought not only to annihilate the Armenian population of the town of Shushi and Artsakh as a whole, but also to erase its history, culture and spirit. Azerbaijan continues to adhere to this strategy to this day.

However, it is impossible to destroy the Armenian spirit of Shushi, which is inextricably linked with Artsakh. It was revived in May 1992 and will be revived again."