President Erdogan commemorates Khojaly Massacre

“I wish Allah’s mercy for those killed during the Khojaly Massacre,” Erdogan said during the opening ceremony of Turkish Vakifbank’s Islamic branch in Istanbul.

The massacre on February 25-26, 1992, is regarded as one of the bloodiest and most controversial incidents of the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan for control of the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Armenian forces took over the town of Khojaly in Nagorno-Karabakh on Feb. 26 after battering it with heavy artillery and tanks, assisted by an infantry regiment.

The two-hour offensive killed 613 Azeri citizens, including 116 women and 63 children and critically injured 487 others, according to Azeri figures.

Various memorials have been held around Turkey to commemorate the massacre.

Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said Friday that Turkey condemned “inhumane attack against civilians” and declared solidarity with Azerbaijani people.

Anadolu Agency