On 27 February 2015, a Ceremony of Remembrance took place in Moscow to mark the 23rd anniversary of the Khojaly genocide.
Initiator of the Justice for Khojaly Campaign, Vice-president of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva attended the ceremony.
The event was held under the auspices of the Justice for Khojaly Campaign and organised jointly by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Russian Federation, the Azerbaijani Youth Organization of Russia (AYOR) and the All-Russian Azerbaijanis Congress.
Addressing the event, Leyla Aliyeva set out the details of the Khojaly genocide committed in the course of the Armenian military aggression against Azerbaijan, the circumstances of how these events happened and the negative consequences of the aggression. Emphasizing the importance of legal and political assessment to these tragic happenings by the world community, Leyla Aliyeva commended the efforts put forward in recent years toward recognising this act of genocide on global level, including the adoption of parliamentary resolutions in a number of countries’ legislative bodies. She also informed the participants about the recent activities of the Justice for Khojaly Campaign.
Ambassador of Azerbaijan to the Russian Federation Polad Bulbuloglu also delivered a speech at the Ceremony. The diplomat drew attention to the results of the Armenian aggression policy, its negative effects on development and for establishing peace and security in the region.
Pieces of music devoted to Khojaly in mugham and ethno-jazz genres were performed during the event by well-known musicians of Azerbaijan and Russia – Alim Gasymov, Fergana Gasymova, Farhad Badalbeyli, Dmitry Yablonsky and Rain Sultanov and video materials related to the occupied territories and the Khojaly genocide were presented.
Furthermore, Russian version of the information pack issued with the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation was introduced at the event. The pack includes 2 DVDs – Leyla Aliyeva’s video appeal on behalf of the Justice for Khojaly Campaign and the other one being a documentary presenting the details of the massacre in Khojaly, publications, as well as photos depicting these events, a flash drive with a new logo of the campaign and some promotion materials. It also contains a power point presentation prepared about the Khojaly genocide for the use of public events, particularly by students and educational institutions.
On the sidelines of the event, Leyla Aliyeva met young people who had lost both parents during the Khojaly genocide. Later on, they visited an exhibition of the Azerbaijani and Russian children about the Khojaly genocide.