Representatives of the Western Azerbaijan Community represented in Azerbaijan's Milli Majlis (Parliament) have made a statement, AzVision.az reports.
The statement was read out by Aziz Alakbarli, chairman of the Community's board.
The statement was then put to vote and adopted.
The statement notes that Azerbaijanis have lived on the territory of the present Armenia for centuries. Historical documents and maps prove that the majority of the population that lived there were Azerbaijanis, the absolute majority of toponyms formed in this geography were Azerbaijani.
"Unfortunately, as a result of ethnic cleansing carried out in stages for more than 150 years, particularly in 1905-1906, 1918-1921, 1948-1953 and 1987-1991, not a single Azerbaijani remained in Armenia," Western Azerbaijan Community said.
After the completion of the cleansing of the territory of Armenia from Azerbaijanis in 1988-1993, 20 percent of the internationally recognized territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan was occupied.
Peace negotiations mediated by the international community failed to restore the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan in accordance with the norms and principles of international law for almost 30 years.
"As a result of the victory by Azerbaijani Armed Forces under the leadership of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev in the 44-day second Karabakh war in the fall of 2020, the territorial integrity of our state and historical justice were restored," the Community noted.
Despite the severe consequences of the occupation, it was the Republic of Azerbaijan that initiated the normalization of relations with Armenia based on the establishment of long-term peace and stability in the South Caucasus region, the five principles of international law, including the recognition of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of states. Unfortunately, the military and political provocations committed by Armenia over the past three years have prevented peace negotiations and made inevitable the localized anti-terrorist activities carried out by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces in September this year in Karabakh.
"With the establishment of the sovereignty of the Republic of Azerbaijan over its entire territory, there are no longer any obstacles to the conclusion of a peace treaty with Armenia. The joint statement adopted on December 7 of this year by the Administration of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia was an important step towards establishing trust between the two states," said the Community's message.
"The representatives of the Western Azerbaijan Community, represented in the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan, strongly support the initiatives and efforts of the President of Azerbaijan to establish lasting peace and stability in the region and to establish cooperative relations. The representatives of the community believe that the recognition of Western Azerbaijanis' rights to return to their ancestral homeland in the territory of present-day Armenia is one of the most important tools for building trust between Azerbaijan and Armenia. This will be an important step towards achieving real peace between the two states and creating an environment of coexistence in the region," the Community said.
More about:
