The 17th Summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) was held in the city of Khankendi, Azerbaijan, on July 3–4. At the summit, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev raised the issue of the return of Western Azerbaijanis, and this matter was reflected in the Khankendi Communiqué adopted on the outcomes of the summit.

This was stated in a statement issued by the Western Azerbaijan Community.

The statement emphasizes that raising the issue of Western Azerbaijan in this prestigious format is of great importance in terms of strengthening international support for the peaceful, safe, and dignified return of Western Azerbaijanis.

“The Western Azerbaijan Community thanks the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev for bringing the issue of return to the international agenda in a principled and consistent manner and ensuring the unequivocal support of the international community for this issue,” the statement reads.