A commemoration ceremony was held in The Hague, Netherlands, to mark the 33rd anniversary of the Khojaly genocide.

Axar.az reports the event was organized by the Holland Azerbaijan-Turkish Culture Association, with support from the Azerbaijan Diaspora Support Fund and the Federation of Turkish Azerbaijani Associations.

According to the State Committee for Diaspora Affairs, the participants of the event first laid wreaths at the Khojaly genocide memorial in The Hague's "Nieuw Eykenduynen" cemetery and observed a minute of silence to honor the victims.

Executive Director of the Azerbaijan Diaspora Support Fund, Akram Abdullayev; Advisor to the President of Turkiye’s Communications Department, Huseyin Altınalan; Deputy Chairman of the Nationalist Movement Party and Member of Parliament, Ilyas Topsakal; Advisor to the Azerbaijani Ambassador in the Netherlands, Nurlan Aliyev; Representative of the Turkish Embassy in the Netherlands, Pınar Gulun Kayseri; Advisor to the President of the Turkish Azerbaijani Associations Federation (TADEF), Parviz Mammadzade; Representative of Dutch society, Ron Gazelle; and Human Rights Defender, Paul Donkers, spoke about the history of the genocide committed by Armenian forces against peaceful civilians on the night of February 26, 1992, and emphasized that this tragedy was inscribed in the memory of the Azerbaijani people with blood.

They highlighted the importance of the international community not remaining indifferent to the Khojaly genocide, which was not only a crime against Azerbaijanis but also a crime against humanity. The speeches also highlighted the process of returning to Khojaly, President Ilham Aliyev's visits there, and his meetings with the local residents.

Sariyya Muslimgizi, a resident of Khojaly who lost family members during the tragedy and Chairwoman of the Public Union "Recognition of Armenian Aggression," also spoke at the event. She is one of the first residents to return to Khojaly after 32 years. Sarriya Muslümqızı spoke with pride about the current development of Khojaly, a place she had longed for over the years. She presented the books "They Will Never Grow Up" (Ze werden nooit volwassen) and "Coming from Khojaly" (Geesten uit Khojaly), translated into Dutch, to the participants. The books, which describe the lives of the women and children victims of the Khojaly genocide and have been translated into various languages, were received with great interest by the attendees.

The event continued with the screening of videos prepared by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation regarding the Khojaly genocide, a short documentary titled "Khojaly Insignia", and a video message from Ilhan Ashkin, President of the Dutch Azerbaijan-Türkiye Cultural Association. A painting exhibition depicting the horrors witnessed by Khojaly survivors and the painful reality of the genocide was also displayed. The children whose artworks were part of the exhibition received appreciation gifts on stage.

In his closing speech, Tugrahan Ashkin emphasized that commemorating the Khojaly tragedy is not only important for remembrance but also for passing it down to future generations, and he noting that the art exhibition was organized with this goal in mind.

Meanwhile, it is noted that such work done by Diaspora organizations and activists is very useful for correctly conveying Azerbaijan's realities and historical truths to the international community.