On February 27, 2015, Dutch-Armenians will hold a protest in front of the Embassy of Azerbaijan in The Hague in memory of the Armenian massacres that took place in Sumgait, Gandzak, Baku and other Azeri cities in 1988 and in 1990. As the “Diary of the Netherlands” reports, in addition to this, cooperating Dutch-Armenian organizations will also issue a statement in which the following will be particularly mentioned:

“This year marks not only the 100^th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, but also the 25^th anniversary of the Baku Pogroms. The Armenians’ liberation struggle began peacefully and in a civilized manner. The people of the ancient Artsakh believed in the high level of social order in the 20^th century and had the intention to set forth its demands by the Constitution and peacefully. However, the Armenians were wrong in their calculations, and it turned out that the Turkish and Azeri governments had not become more civilized. Azerbaijan responded to the Armenian people’s just constitutional demand with unprecedented aggression that began in Sumgait in February 1988 and continued with the horrible events that took place in Gandzak and Baku. For 25 years, Azerbaijan has been leading a policy of force and violence and has been trying to violate the free will of the people of Artsakh. Neglecting the lives of its own soldiers, Azerbaijan breaches the ceasefire agreement reached in 1994 as it continues to attack the borders of Artsakh and Armenia.

Years ago, the United Nations assigned the OSCE to settle this conflict, and the OSCE has always affirmed that there is no military solution to this conflict. Nevertheless, the Azerbaijani government ignores the international community’s views and continues its belligerent actions, taking the lives of several innocent people.

The Dutch-Armenians view these military operations as the continuation of the Turkish-Azerbaijani unity and the genocidal policy that the two have been leading for centuries. Turkey and Azerbaijan must once and for all come to grips with the existence of the Armenian State and must respect the right of the Armenian people to live freely and independently in their historic homeland. We also demand that the Dutch government lead a clear and consistent policy against the Azerbaijani government’s manifestations of fascism. Only by calling things by their names and suppressing the real aggressor will it be possible to achieve long-lasting peace.

Every year on February 27 we pay tribute to our compatriots who were killed in the most horrible way in Sumgait, Kirovabad, Baku and other Azerbaijani cities in the 1990s. More than 500,000 Armenians were forced to leave their homes and become refugees. This year, the Dutch-Armenians will once again raise their voices during a rally to be held in front of the Embassy of Azerbaijan in The Hague. Like all Armenians around the world, we will protect the rights of the people of Artsakh.”