Azerbaijan demands Armenia’s apology for historic crime Pakistani media on the return of Azerbaijanis

Pakistan’s Daily Islamabad Post newspaper has published an article about the rights of Western Azerbaijanis, brutally expelled from their lands in Armenia. Caliber.Az reprints this article.   

According to the article, the right to a dignified life is an elementary human right determined in accordance with international legal acts. While humankind can be proud of its progress over the past decades, the elementary right of Western Azerbaijanis brutally driven out from their native lands in Armenia is yet to be restored. The Azerbaijani government is seeking a fair approach from the international organisations.

The international community, which often voices concerns over human rights, remains largely silent on the plight of Western Azerbaijanis. The world’s selective outrage to similar issues is the main obstacle for mapping out the solution to the problem and sets an urgent need for justice and accountability. Being loud for some crises but muted for others is the very reality pushing many issues to deadlock. The Azerbaijani government applies a multi-component approach in this matter, such as historical studies, legal justifications, international initiatives, and diplomatic communication. One of the most important steps in solving the problem was the unification of public organisations from West Azerbaijan under a single Western Azerbaijan Community. 

Now the Community focuses on attracting the attention of international organisations, human rights protection and guarantee institutions, foreign governments and the general public to the problem of over half a million left homeless. Azerbaijan clearly declares that ensuring the return of Western Azerbaijanis to their native and historical lands is their fundamental right and an inevitable process. Article 13 (2) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) clearly guarantees the inherent dignity and equal rights of all individuals, including the right to return to one’s homeland and protection from displacement. 

The Western Azerbaijanis, brutally driven out of their lands, have never given up their struggle for justice. Now when the 2020 war put an end to the illegal occupation of and bloody conflict with Armenia, their hope for a peaceful return to their homeland guiding the superiority of the law and all international legislative acts that protect their universal right has boosted as never before. So, Azerbaijan expects a clear, concrete, logical, and transparent position from Armenia in accordance with the norms of international law. 

There is no obstacle to the repatriation of Western Azerbaijanis as their houses are still empty and the area is unsettled. Now it is time for Armenia to apologize for the historic crime and provide for their dignified return. Justice is not just a slogan, but a fundamental principle of international relations. Western Azerbaijanis deserve not only the right to return to their lands but also a dignified life in those lands.

By Naila Huseynova