Pashinyan's disregard for Azerbaijanis’ right to return Unlearned lessons of history

The Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, has yet to heed the recent call from Azerbaijan's President, Ilham Aliyev, urging the Armenian government to welcome representatives from the Western Azerbaijan Community to hear the grievances of those unjustly expelled from their ancestral lands. This move would be a positive step, especially since the Azerbaijanis who were forcibly deported have every right to return to their homeland.

Pashinyan may have heard the call, but he seems unwilling to act on this just request. His refusal is all the more striking given that such a gesture would be in line with Armenia’s claimed path toward European-style democracy, as emphasized by the Azerbaijani president. However, Pashinyan continues to ignore the legitimate demands of Baku.

It is important to recall that in late 2024, Pashinyan expressed distress over the use of the term "Western Azerbaijan," stating, "We are upset and deeply troubled when people use this term." In response, the Community issued a statement emphasizing that the term "Western Azerbaijan" is used by Azerbaijanis who once lived in this region "as part of their right to self-identification and based on historical realities." The organization also reiterated that it is working toward the peaceful return of these displaced people, "in full respect for the norms and principles of international law, including the territorial integrity and sovereignty of states."

On January 7, President Ilham Aliyev emphasized that "the current territory of Armenia essentially includes the historical lands that were predominantly inhabited by Azerbaijanis." He stated that their right to live there should be recognized, and conditions should be created for their return.

In response, Prime Minister Pashinyan once again took a historically inaccurate stance, claiming that the phrase "the issue of the return of refugees from Western Azerbaijan" is an attempt to "use the refugee issue as a tool in international law, thereby questioning the territorial integrity of sovereign Armenia." Following this, Pashinyan further escalated tensions, accusing Azerbaijan of allegedly planning "an unprovoked act of aggression against Armenia."

What can one say, other than that it seems Pashinyan has yet to familiarize himself with the statement by the Western Azerbaijan Community from last year, mentioned above. Similarly, he appears to have overlooked the fact that the President of Azerbaijan has highlighted the inclusion of this issue in the international agenda. On January 9, 2025, the UN Secretariat circulated the appeal of Azerbaijan’s President to participants of the second international conference, The Right to Return: Advancing Justice for Azerbaijanis Expelled from Armenia (December 2024), along with the final document of the forum, as official documents of the UN Security Council and General Assembly. Does Yerevan not realize that this is yet another confirmation of the international recognition of the Western Azerbaijan Community?

In our view, those in Yerevan are well aware of the situation. However, they seem incapable of stepping away from their entrenched line of thinking and behaviour. This is the only way to explain how Pashinyan's recent statement adds to the previous one made by Armenia's Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, in which he spoke of the "direct territorial threat to Armenia posed by the narrative of Western Azerbaijan." It remains unclear how a narrative can pose a threat to the territorial integrity of any country; perhaps Armenia's foreign ministry can clarify this point.

What is clear, however, is that Mirzoyan, in presenting the legitimate question raised by official Baku, dismissed it as yet another "fabricated ambitious project by the Azerbaijani authorities." Without hesitation, he also made unsubstantiated claims about alleged mass instances of apartment sales (or exchanges) during the inhumane expulsion of the indigenous population from Armenia, even going so far as to assert that "more than 160,000 people received compensation from the Armenian government."

Perhaps it is worth reminding Mirzoyan of just one particularly egregious and inhumane incident from that period, specifically related to the village of Saral in the Spitak region of Armenia (the final days of November 1988), when, during the forced expulsion of the villagers from their homeland, a burst of automatic gunfire hit a vehicle carrying the Baladzhayev family (three killed, including an 11-year-old boy). And this was just one of many such barbaric actions carried out by Armenians against peaceful Azerbaijanis on that day.

The Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already responded to Mirzoyan’s insinuations, emphasizing that Armenia’s denial of Azerbaijanis’ right to return to their homeland is an example of the country’s ongoing policy of "Armenianization" of Azerbaijani territories and "preventing Azerbaijanis from returning by any means." This reflects the core ideology of Armenia, demonstrating a "racist, chauvinistic mindset." Meanwhile, the Western Azerbaijan Community has stated that by denying the return of Western Azerbaijanis, "the Armenian government is committing a crime against humanity."

As noted at the beginning of this article, Pashinyan has not heeded the call of President Ilham Aliyev. However, it is in the Armenian Prime Minister's best interest to pay attention to the demand voiced by the Azerbaijani President a few days ago regarding the return of Western Azerbaijanis to the lands of their ancestors, to the villages and cities where they once lived, with resettlement in areas that align with all international norms and principles. "Therefore, the time has come for Armenia to create the conditions for Western Azerbaijanis to return to their ancestral lands," President Ilham Aliyev concluded,

In this context, it is worth recalling that Pashinyan once disregarded the bold statement made by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, Ilham Aliyev, who declared, "Karabakh is Azerbaijan, exclamation mark!" This reminder is provided solely to emphasize the historical fact that whatever President Ilham Aliyev declares is ultimately brought to fruition.