The Embassy held a commemorative event marking the 34th anniversary of the Khojaly Genocide

A commemorative event marking the 34th anniversary of the Khojaly Genocide was held at the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Japan, bringing together representatives of Japan’s diplomatic, media, and academic communities alongside members of the Azerbaijani diaspora.

Nearly 40 guests attended the event, including former Japanese ambassadors accredited to Azerbaijan and representatives of leading national media outlets such as NHK, Kyodo News, and Nikkei. The presence of prominent journalists and scholars underscored the broader significance of the commemoration, which sought not only to honor the victims, but also to reinforce awareness of the historical and political context of the tragedy within Japanese public discourse.

Opening the event, Ambassador Farid Talibov welcomed participants and invited them to observe a minute of silence in memory of the victims. In his keynote remarks, the Ambassador described the Khojaly Genocide as the most devastating tragedy in the modern history of the Azerbaijani people. He emphasized that the massacre of civilians in February 1992 constituted a grave violation of international humanitarian law and formed part of a systematic campaign of ethnic cleansing and violence directed against Azerbaijanis.

Ambassador Talibov also provided a detailed historical overview of the events surrounding Khojaly and placed them within the broader framework of the Armenia–Azerbaijan conflict. He highlighted that, under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan has restored its territorial integrity and reestablished sovereign control over Khojaly. The Ambassador further informed attendees about ongoing judicial proceedings aimed at ensuring accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity, as well as the large-scale reconstruction and reintegration efforts underway in the formerly occupied territories.

The program concluded with a screening of the Japanese-dubbed version of The Almond Tree, a short documentary produced by the Heydar Aliyev Center and dedicated to the memory of the Khojaly victims. The film was received with solemn attention, adding an emotional dimension to the commemoration and reinforcing the event’s central message: remembrance, justice, and the enduring importance of historical truth.