Baku urges to intensify global promotion of Western Azerbaijan heritage

Azerbaijani Deputy Culture Minister Saadat Yusifova has urged to be active in studying and internationally promoting the heritage of Western Azerbaijan on several fronts.

She made the remarks at public hearings entitled "Western Azerbaijan: our historical and cultural heritage, which was subjected to genocide. Revival of Historical and Cultural Heritage of Western Azerbaijan", held in the country’s parliament on June 12, according to APA.

“All material heritage must be carefully studied. First, it is necessary to determine the exact number of monuments of our cultural heritage in these territories. For this, the experience of developed countries can be used,” the deputy minister said.

Continuing the hearings, Chairman of the Western Azerbaijan Community Aziz Alakbarli said: "Our struggle will continue until we return to the lands of western Azerbaijan, which are now considered Armenian territory.”

According to the community head, the historical monuments, underground crypts, temples, churches and mosques on these lands are a clear indication of who owns the areas.

Alakbarli recalled that President Ilham Aliyev's meeting with the Western Azerbaijan Community on December 24 last year was the beginning of a new era in history: "Thus, with the creation of the concept of return to Western Azerbaijan, we began a new fight.”

The historical lands of Azerbaijan on the country’s western edge were originally settled by ethnic Azerbaijanis before they were included in destructive plans developed by the Russian imperial and Soviet authorities. The city of Iravan (modern-day Yerevan) and the Zangazur region were the cradles of the Azerbaijani population and culture before their forcible separation from the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR) in 1918 and 1920, respectively.

In January 2023, the Western Azerbaijan Community (WAC), an umbrella organization dedicated to protecting the rights of displaced Azerbaijanis, adopted a concept to establish a legal framework to facilitate the return of deportees to their historical homeland.

The document dubbed “The Concept on Ensuring Peaceful, Safe and Dignified Return of Azerbaijanis Expelled from nowadays Armenia,” or the “Concept of Return”, defines the general framework for the objectives, principles, preparatory, and implementation measures to be taken by the Community for the return of Azerbaijanis. The concept is based on international law, relevant domestic law, and historical facts, and serves to establish justice and peace, according to the WAC’s statement.