The Speaker of the Republic’s Assembly Zorlu Töre on Sunday commemorated the Khojaly martyrs who were massacred by Armenian forces in the Nagorno-Karabakh region on February 26 1992.

In a message issued to mark the occasion and remember those killed during the massacre, the Speaker of the Republic’s Assembly Zorlu Töre reminded that Azerbaijan has fought great struggles throughout history.

He said that exactly 106 years ago, the Caucasian Islamic Army entered Baku under the command of Nuri Killigil Pasha and gave Azerbaijan its independence.

Stating that Azerbaijan came under the control of the Soviet Union following the withdrawal of Turkish troops, Töre said, “Our Azerbaijani compatriots did not abandon their Turkish identity until they gained their independence.”

Stating that the massacre, which to this day remains in the hearts of Azerbaijani Turks and went down in history as “Bloody January”, was an important turning point in gaining independence after 70 years of Soviet captivity and that 130 civilians lost their lives that night.

Töre said that a similar genocide attempt that Azerbaijani Turks were subjected to took place on February 26, 1992 in the town of Khojaly in the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 630 innocent civilians were massacred.

Stating that the modern world has remained silent about the similar massacre in Gaza today, the Speaker of the Republic’s Assembly noted that the Turkish Cypriot people have also suffered similar pains.

Emphasizing that the guarantorship of Motherland Türkiye is of vital importance for them, Töre reiterated that it is not possible for them to step back from this point.

He concluded his message by commemorating the martyrs and expressing his gratitude to the veterans.

Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu in his message said that the Turkish Cypriot people carried in their hearts the pain and suffering of their Azeri brothers and sisters.

“We remember our martyrs with respect,” Ertuğruloğlu said in his message.