Our organization, established as the Azerbaijani Refugees Society in 1989 and renamed the Community of Western Azerbaijan in 2022, deals with the protection of the rights of the Azerbaijanis who were expelled from the area that had been their homeland for centuries and is now called Armenia.
Expelling Azerbaijanis from the territory of present-day Armenia is an injustice of unprecedented political, legal, and humanitarian scale.
The ethnic cleansing against Azerbaijanis was carried out in most cases through systematic efforts of state authorities by using violence, massacres, and other crimes against humanity and human rights violations. This process was especially violent and ruthless in 1905-06, 1918-21, 1948-53, and 1988-91. The consequences of these acts, as well as the decisions of the entities called “Republic of Armenia”, “Republic of Mountain Armenia” in 1918-21, the Soviet Union and in particular the notorious USSR leader Joseph Stalin, who transferred Zangezur and many other Azerbaijani-majority areas to Armenia and signed the order on the deportation of hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis from Armenia; and the malfeasance of the Armenian SSR in 1988-91 continue to resonate. As a result of the ethnic cleansing carried out since 1991, this territory is inhabited exclusively by Armenians.
Azerbaijani historical and cultural heritage, including mosques and graveyards were destroyed, Azerbaijani toponyms were changed everywhere in the territory now known as Armenia, and Azerbaijanis were subjected to systematic racial discrimination. The persons involved in ethnic cleansing and other crimes against Azerbaijanis and their actions are glorified in Armenia at the state policy level.
This unprecedented injustice created a sense of impunity in the ruling circles of Armenia and encouraged them to make territorial claims, use of force and military occupation against the internationally recognized territories of Azerbaijan, further massive ethnic cleansing, and commit other crimes against humanity.
The victory in the 2020 self-defense operation of the Republic of Azerbaijan against Armenia’s military attacks and occupation was an important step towards the restoration of justice and expanded the possibilities of establishing peace between the two countries. On the other hand, the great injustice is that the Azerbaijanis expelled from the territory of present-day Armenia cannot return to their homes, the policy of monoethnic statehood, ethnic cleansing and systematic racial discrimination continues in that country, which poses a serious threat to the establishment of lasting peace.
As the decades-old credible representative of the Azerbaijani community expelled from present-day Armenia, our organization is determined to continue its efforts to restore the violated rights of the community. Proceeding from the right to return enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and other important international acts, the Community strives for a safe and dignified return of Azerbaijanis expelled from present-day Armenia to their homes and for ensuring their individual and collective rights upon return there.
The growing importance the international community attaches to human rights and the desire of Azerbaijanis exiled from Armenia to return to their homeland inspire the community to intensify these efforts.
In view of the above, the Community of Western Azerbaijan:
demands that the government of Armenia create conditions for a safe and dignified return of Azerbaijanis exiled from geographical locations currently considered the territory of Armenia to their homes through an international process and ensure their individual and collective rights upon return there;
thanks the government of the Republic of Azerbaijan for providing shelter, taking care of the Azerbaijanis exiled from the territory of present-day Armenia and creating conditions for their peaceful development, and asks for continued assistance for a safe and dignified return of the Azerbaijanis exiled from their homeland to their homes through an international process and ensuring their individual and collective rights upon return there;
asks the member states of the United Nations (UN), the UN, and other relevant international organizations to assist in a safe and dignified return of Azerbaijanis expelled from the territory of present-day Armenia to their homes through an international process and to ensure their individual and collective rights upon return there.
