An event titled “Honoring the Memory of Khojaly and Promoting Peace in the Name of Humanity” was held at Columbia University in the United States on the occasion of the 34th anniversary of the Khojaly genocide.
The event was organized with the support of the State Committee on Work with Diaspora of the Republic of Azerbaijan and jointly by the Azerbaijan-American Youth Federation.
The national anthems of Azerbaijan and the United States were performed at the beginning of the event, followed by a minute of silence in memory of the victims of the Khojaly genocide.
Azerbaijan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Tofiq Musayev, highlighted historical facts related to the Khojaly genocide and stressed the importance of the international community giving a proper legal and political assessment to the tragedy.
Head of the National Music and Global Culture Society operating in New York and leader of the Alliance of Azerbaijani Organizations of America, Nargiz Aliyarova, spoke about the brutal crimes committed against the people of Khojaly, noting that the tragedy left an indelible mark on the memory of compatriots.
Former UN spokesperson and head of the UN bureau of the newspaper Al-Quds Al-Arabi, Abdelhamid Siyam, spoke about the truths of Khojaly and the importance of promoting the values of peace and humanism.
During the commemoration event, artworks dedicated to the Khojaly events by students of the “My Way” Child and Youth Creative Development Center operating in New York were exhibited. The compositions “Cry of Khojaly” by the Center’s Cultural Director, Azerbaijani painter and sculptor Emin Guliyev, and “Khojaly” by Azerbaijani artist Chingiz Mahir Musayev, who resides in New York, also contributed to raising awareness about the genocide.
The event also emphasized the importance of preserving the memory of the Khojaly victims, conveying historical truths to the international community, and promoting peace based on the principles of humanism.