02/27/14 - Statement submitted for the Congressional Record on Khojaly - Mr. Speaker, I rise to commemorate the 22nd anniversary of the Khojaly tragedy which took place on February 25-26, 1992, when the town of Khojaly in the Nagorno Karabakh region of Azerbaijan was attacked by Armenian forces. Khojaly, which was home to 7,000 people, was completely destroyed; a total of 613 people were killed.

As the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict still remains unresolved, the U.S. must increase its efforts to facilitate the resolution to the conflict in accordance with international law. Congress must also recognize that the current status-quo is dangerous and a solution to the conflict is necessary to allow hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijani IDPs to return to their homes. There is no doubt that a settlement of this protracted conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan would let this region realize its huge potential and become prosperous.

Mr. Speaker, as Azerbaijan, a tested and proven strategic partner of the United States, commemorates the 22nd anniversary of the Khojaly massacre this year, I call on my colleagues in Congress to speak up on this tragedy and stand with the Azerbaijani people.