“The Western Azerbaijan Community has repeatedly called on the Armenian government to engage in dialogue, but the opposing side has always turned down these initiatives. Armenia has to embark on negotiations with the Community and take tangible steps to restore the fundamental rights of Western Azerbaijanis. In addition, Armenia has to allow a UNESCO fact-finding mission to monitor the situation regarding the destruction and distortion of the historical and cultural heritage of the Azerbaijani people and be open to cooperation in this area,” President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said in his letter to the participants of the Second International Conference on “The Right to Return: Advancing Justice for Azerbaijanis Expelled from Armenia.”
“It is extremely important that the international community should support the peaceful initiatives of members of the Western Azerbaijan Community in accordance with international law to ensure their right of return to their native lands. Initiatives based on the successful implementation of the Concept of Return will make a great contribution to the peaceful, safe and dignified return of Western Azerbaijanis to their native lands,” the head of the stated noted.
“I wish success to the conference dedicated to safeguarding the rights of thousands of people of Western Azerbaijani origin who were forcibly displaced from their ancestral lands at various times and are currently settled in Azerbaijan and a number of countries around the world. I am convinced that this international conference, which will communicate to the international community the truth about the deportations the Azerbaijani people have been subjected to from time to time, will become an important platform of international dialogue and exchange of views on the right of return and the global problem of displacement in the near future,” the President of Azerbaijan emphasized.
