YEREVAN, 28 FEBRUARY, ARMENPRESS. The Sumgait crime was the result of Azerbaijan’s policy on ethnic cleansing. “Azerbaijan had been leading a policy on ethnic cleansing against ethnic minorities residing in the country for years, and the Sumgait Pogrom was the result of that policy,” historian Gevorg Melkonyan said during a February 28 press conference, as “Armenpress” reports.

Melkonyan mentioned that the crime of Sumgait showed three things. “Firstly, the Sumgait Pogrom reinforced in Armenians the conviction that if Artsakh hadn’t struggled, it would have been emptied of Armenians, just like Nakhichevan. Secondly, Azerbaijan isn’t ready to accept the principle of self-determination of nations. Thirdly, as the years go by, ethnic minorities residing in Azerbaijan will be subject to ethnic cleansing,” Melkonyan underscored.

Touching upon the international condemnation of the Sumgait pogrom, he noted that Armenia can use the facts at its disposal to raise that issue at the international level.