Sumgait Massacres in 1988 Marked the Beginning of Large-scale Atrocities Against Armenians: Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

YEREVAN — On the 37th anniversary of the Armenian pogroms in Sumgait, Azerbaijan, the Armenian Foreign Ministry issued a statement urging efforts to overcome hostility to prevent the recurrence of such tragedies.

“From February 27 to 29, 1988, a series of crimes were committed in Sumgait, Azerbaijan, marking the beginning of large-scale pogroms against the Armenian population. These attacks, clearly organized and supported by the state, escalated decades of oppression and persecution into open, systematic violence,” the statement read.

The Foreign Ministry recalled that the mass killings and torture of Armenians, which began in Sumgait, continued with the same brutality in Baku, Kirovabad, and Maragha.

“As a result of these events, hundreds of Armenians were killed, and approximately half a million were forcibly displaced. The cycle of violent policies persisted until September 2023, when the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh faced complete ethnic cleansing,” the statement emphasized.

“As we commemorate these events, we honor the memory of the innocent victims each year. At the same time, we recognize that these are not just days of mourning but a reminder of the urgent need to overcome hostility to prevent the recurrence of such tragedies,” the ministry stated.