Experts gather in Baku to discuss return of displaced Western Azerbaijanis

An international scientific conference titled “The Right of Return in the Context of International Peace and Cooperation” has officially opened in Baku.

Organised by the Western Azerbaijan Community as part of its 2025 Action Plan, the event is dedicated to the “Year of Constitution and Sovereignty", local media reports.

The conference seeks to study and evaluate the rights of individuals forcibly expelled from Western Azerbaijan, focusing on their ability to return to their ancestral lands with dignity, in line with human rights standards, international law, and considerations of regional security.

The program will feature both theoretical and practical discussions covering several key areas, including: the international legal foundations of the right of return; the legal status of refugees and deported individuals; protection of property rights and their assessment under European Court of Human Rights practices; regional security and peace processes and their impact on the right of return; application of criminal law during periods of occupation and mechanisms of accountability post-occupation; population resettlement, restoration of cultural rights, and relevant civil-law mechanisms; as well as international legal tools and practical frameworks that ensure the implementation of the return process.

By Tamilla Hasanova