The ceremony started with a minute of silence in memory of the victims of the genocide.

    Speaking at the commemoration ceremony, Deputy Chief of the Baku City Main Police Department, Police Major-General Elkhan Hasanov noted that the Khojaly tragedy is one of the bloodiest crimes committed against our people. 25 years ago - on the night of February 25 to 26 1992, Armenian militia groups attacked civilians. As a result of the massacre, 613 people died. Among them were 63 children, 106 women, 70 elderly people, 8 families were completely destroyed. Recalling that in the past century, acts of genocide and ethnic cleansing were taking place in several countries of the world, the deputy head emphasized that the Khojaly tragedy is one of the most horrible crimes among them.
    Further, the senior assistant to the Chief of the Main Directorate for Work with Personnel, the police colonel Ali Valiyev delivered an extensive report on the causes of the tragedy and its results.

    Noting that the territorial claims of Armenians against the Azerbaijani people started from the last century, the speaker stressed that after 1988, as a result of military aggression of Armenia, 20 percent of our lands were occupied, more than 20,000 people were killed, more than 50,000 people were injured, more than 1 Million people became refugees. And the Khojaly genocide, being a crime against all mankind, is the most serious tragedy of Azerbaijan. It is similar with such crimes committed against humanity as the Holocaust, the genocide in Srebrenica, Khatyn.

    Noting that the main goal of the enemies in committing the Khojaly genocide was to take our people away from the chosen path - the way of strengthening Azerbaijan's freedom and independence by rapprochement with the free world, Ali Valiyev called the people, who laid down their lives during this tragedy for the territorial integrity and independence of Azerbaijan -the martyrs.

    It was noted that the Azerbaijani state and government, the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and other non-governmental organizations, expatriate structures are taking important steps aimed at expanding the geography of bringing to the world community the truth regarding the Khojaly tragedy and its recognition as genocide. After the return of our Great Leader Heydar Aliyev to political power, an exact political course was determined in this direction. It was on his initiative that a special meeting of Milli Majlis was held in 1994, dedicated to the discussion of the Khojaly genocide, it was decided to hold the "Day of Khojaly Genocide" every year on February 26. On February 25, 1997 the National Leader Heydar Aliyev signed a decree on "Announcing a minute of silence as a sign of respect for the memory of the victims of the Khojaly genocide" every year on February 26 at 5 pm throughout Azerbaijan, various decisions were made.
   
    At the end of the event, Deputy Chief of the Baku City Main Police Department, Police Major-General Elkhan Hasanov stressed that Khojaly will never be forgotten. We know our enemy and must always be prepared to avoid the recurrence of its atrocities.