On February 28, 2018, the commemoration ceremony of victims of the crime committed against Armenian people in the frosty days of February in the Sumgait city of Azerbaijan 30 years ago was held in Tbilisi. It was initiated by the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia in Georgia and the Armenian Diocese in Georgia.

Diplomats of the Republic of Armenia to Georgia headed by Ruben Sadoyan, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, as well as Georgian MPs Ruslan Poghosyan and Samvel Manukyan; artistic director of Tbilisi State Drama Theatre after Petros Adamyan Armen Bayanduryan; editor of “Vrastan” (Georgia) newspaper Van Bayburtyan; Tbilisi-Armenian intellectuals, civil society members came to respect the memory of the Sumgait pogroms victims.

The event began with a prayer for the repose of the souls of the victims in the St. Etchmiadzin Church in Avlabari, after which the Pastor of the church, Rev.Father Virap Ghazaryan invited the attendees to the “Hayartun” Educational and Cultural Center to take part in a commemorative event.

Opening the event, at the suggestion of Levon Chidilyan, the head of the Culture Department of the Armenian Diocese in Georgia and the director of the “Hayartun” Center, the attendees honored the memory of the victims of the crime with the minute of silence.

In his remarks, Mr. Ruben Sadoyan, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Armenia to Georgia, condemned every kind of crime against humanity and commemorated the victims of Sumgait massacres.

Touching upon the state policy conducted by Azerbaijan’s authorities in direction of annihilation of the Armenian people and calling Yerevan Azeri land, Ambassador Sadoyan added, that Sumgait crime once again proved that Artsakh cannot be a part of Azerbaijan under any status.

In their speeches, Professor Ernest Arakelov, spokesman of the Armenian Community of Georgia NGO, Sandro Ohanyan and others recorded the developments after Sumgait pogroms and condemned Sumgait massacre, qualifying it as a genocide committed against Armenian people.

The event included a showing of parts from a documentary about Sumgait pogroms.

With melodies of violin and duduk, performance of works of Komitas by Nina Karapetyan-Gevorkova and “Makar Yekmalyan” Choir of Armenian Cathedral of Saint George and performance of “Hayastan” song by Armen Smbatyan the event became an attendees’ commemoration ceremony dedicated to the innocent victims.