Baku, March 31, AZERTAC
Under the instruction of Azerbaijan's Defense Minister, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov, commemorative events on 31 March – the Day of the Genocide of Azerbaijanis were held in the Army Corps, formations, military units, and special educational institutions of the Azerbaijan Army, the Ministry of Defense told AZERTAC.
At the commemorative ceremonies, the memory of National Leader Heydar Aliyev and Shehids (Martyrs), who sacrificed their lives for the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, as well as the victims of the 31 March Genocide was honored with observing a minute of silence. The National Anthem of the Republic of Azerbaijan was performed.
It was noted that in 1918, between March 30 and April 3, Azerbaijanis were brutally killed by the Baku Soviet and Dashnak Armenian armed detachments in Baku city and various regions of Baku governorate, as well as in Shamakhi, Guba, Khachmaz, Lankaran, Hajigabul, Salyan, Zangazur, Karabakh, Nakhchivan and other territories.
By the Decree of Great Leader Heydar Aliyev dated March 26, 1998, every year March 31 is marked as the Day of Genocide of Azerbaijanis at the state level was emphasized.
The speakers noted the importance of purposeful measures taken by President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev, as well as the Heydar Aliyev Foundation in order to deliver to the world community the horrors of the genocide committed by Armenians against the Azerbaijani people.
At commemorative events literary and artistic compositions by the Army Ideological and Cultural Center named after Hazi Aslanov were presented, photo exhibitions, documentaries were shown, and lectures on the topic were read in sociopolitical classes.
The servicemen visited the monuments of the victims of the genocide and graves of the Shehids (Martyrs) who sacrificed their lives for the territorial integrity of Motherland.