Connecticut House of Representatives passes document on Khojaly genocide 22nd anniversary

The Connecticut House of Representatives passed a document on the occasion of the commemoration day of the 22nd anniversary of the Khojaly genocide, the Azerbaijani embassy in the U.S said on May 9.Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Kevin Ryan and the majority leader in the House of Representatives Joe Aresimowicz submitted the document to the Azerbaijani embassy counselor to the U.S. Mammad Talibov at the fourth Annual Turkic Day at the State Capitol in Hartford.Connecticut Minister of Justice George Jepsen and members of the House of Representatives also attended the event.On February 25-26, 1992 Armenian occupation 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.Some 613 people were killed, including 63 children, 106 women and 70 old people. A total of 1,000 civilians were disabled during the genocide.Eight families were totally exterminated, 130 children lost one parent and 25 children lost both.Some 1,275 innocent residents were taken hostages, while the fate of 150 people remains unknown.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.The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the U.S. are currently holding peace negotiations.Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.(Trend)ANN.Az