MP: Azerbaijan, Türkiye stand united against Armenian territorial claims

Şamil Ayrım, the head of the Azerbaijan-Türkiye Parliamentary Friendship Group of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, has highlighted territorial claims against Azerbaijan and Türkiye, which are reflected in Armenia's constitution.

Ayrım made these remarks during a panel session at the second international conference “The Right to Return: Advancing Justice for Azerbaijanis Expelled from Armenia”, organized by the Western Azerbaijan Community, Caliber.Az reports via local news sources.

“Azerbaijan's calls for a return to Western Azerbaijan do not carry territorial claims. However, claims to the territory of Azerbaijan and Türkiye are reflected in the Armenian constitution. Türkiye, like Azerbaijan, is demanding the removal of these claims,” Ayrım remarked.

The head of the parliamentary group pointed out that Azerbaijan’s call for the return of its people to Western Azerbaijan should be conveyed to the global community.

“Azerbaijan wants peace, and the people from Western Azerbaijan wish to return to their homes. Türkiye will fully support their call to return to their homeland. This is a shared struggle for all those who believe in justice,” Ayrım said.

To recall, between 1987 and 1991, up to 300,000 Azerbaijanis (49,928 families) were forcibly expelled from more than 170 villages exclusively inhabited by Azerbaijanis in Western Azerbaijan (now part of Armenia), as well as nearly 100 mixed settlements (villages, towns, and communities with both Azerbaijani and Armenian populations).

In the course of these expulsions, over 200 Azerbaijanis were killed—some shot, others were victims of deliberate road accidents, or were left to freeze to death—at the hands of Armenian extremists. More than 400 others were injured. Many Azerbaijani properties were looted, burned, and illegally seized.

Of the 50,000 displaced families from Western Azerbaijan during the mentioned 4 years, the damage to nearly 20,000 families has already been assessed, and efforts to address the situation are ongoing.

The Western Azerbaijan Community is the sole public institution focused on addressing the challenges faced by refugees from Western Azerbaijan since 1989. It has been diligently collecting and preserving records and documents related to Azerbaijanis who were displaced between 1987 and 1991.

The Community has compiled detailed statistical data on each refugee family (including their full name and patronymic) from nearly 300 settlements in Western Azerbaijan during this period. It continues to systematically gather an accurate list of all historical and cultural heritage sites in the region, evaluating their current condition.

By Khagan Isayev