The Guatemalan Congress adopted a resolution condemning the occupation of the sovereign territory of Azerbaijan and the military aggression, as well as the Khojaly genocide by a majority of votes, the Azerbaijani foreign ministry said Oct. 12.

The resolution, condemning the occupation of the sovereign territory of Azerbaijan and the military aggression, and calling on Armenia for the peaceful settlement of the conflict in accordance with UN resolutions, was adopted by a majority of votes.

The resolution condemns the act of genocide against the civilian population of Khojaly on February 26, 1992.

The document also stressed the UN Security Council’s resolutions calling the sides of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict for a dialogue and working out the mechanisms for its settlement, demanding to respect the territorial integrity principle within the internationally recognized borders.

The resolution also reflects the commitment of Guatemala, as a member of the United Nations, to ensure the universal values as part of the respect for international law.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

On February 25-26, 1992, the Armenian armed forces, together with the 366th infantry regiment of Soviet troops stationed in Khankendi committed an act of genocide against the population of the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly.

As a result of the massacre, some 613 people were killed, including 63 children, 106 women and 70 old people. Eight families were totally exterminated, 130 children lost one parent and 25 children lost both. A total of 487 civilians became disabled as a result of the onslaught.

Some 1,275 innocent residents were taken hostage, while the fate of 150 people remains unknown.

Trend.az