Western Azerbaijan Community calls on Czech Republic to respect Azerbaijan's sovereignty

The Western Azerbaijan Community has condemned "unreal and preconceived" statements made on August 22 by Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský about the existence of a "blockade" on the Lachin road.

According to Azertag, the statement by the Community called on the Czech Republic not to succumb to the deceitful policy of Armenia, to respect the sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and not to interfere in its internal affairs.

"We also call on the Czech Republic to put pressure on this country [Armenia] so that it creates an opportunity for the Azerbaijanis expelled from Armenia to return to their homes,” the Western Azerbaijan Community said in its statement.

Western Azerbaijan and deportation of Azerbaijanis

Western Azerbaijan Community is an umbrella organization advocating for the rights of ethnic Azerbaijanis who were expelled from present-day Armenia.

The western edge of Azerbaijan historically encompassed lands that were initially settled by ethnic Azerbaijanis. However, these lands 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 among the centers of Azerbaijani population and culture before their forcible separation from the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR) in 1918 and 1920, respectively.

Iravan was originally settled by ethnic Azerbaijanis after its establishment by their ancestors. Although Iravan was “willingly” handed over to the newly established Armenian state by the ADR government, historical sources claim that this act was organized and implemented forcibly under foreign pressure.

Zangazur is a historically Azerbaijani region that now forms the southern part of present-day Armenia as well as a portion of Azerbaijan’s territory.

During the 11th and 12th centuries, Zangazur was part of the Seljuk Empire, which further expanded Turkic-Islamic influence within the region. Subsequently, Zangazur faced invasions from Mongol-Tatar tribes and the Timurid Empire. From the 15th to the 18th century, the region was part of medieval Azerbaijani states, including Garagoyunlu, Aghgoyunlu, and Safavids.

Demographic changes occurred in Iravan and the Zangazur region during the rule of Tsarist Russia and the Soviet Union. Under the Russian Empire, a massive relocation of Armenians from Ottoman and Iranian territories to the South Caucasus, including Iravan, Zangazur, and other Azerbaijani territories, took place. Similar population transfers continued from 1904 to 1915, resulting in the relocation of over 260,000 ethnic Armenians to Azerbaijani territories. Protests against these actions were largely disregarded, and approximately 130,000 Armenians were relocated to Azerbaijani provinces such as Iravan and Yelizavetpol (now Ganja).

During the years of 1905-1907 and 1914-1921, Armenian armed groups committed massacres in Zangazur, resulting in the deaths of approximately half a million indigenous Azerbaijanis and other local Muslims. During this period, 115 Muslim villages in Zangazur were completely destroyed.

Iravan was ceded to the newly established Armenian Republic on May 29, 1918. Following the subjugation of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic by Bolshevik forces on April 28, 1920, a significant part of the Zangazur region was also ceded to the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic on November 30, 1920. These territorial annexations were facilitated by the Soviet Empire, which forced the Azerbaijani authorities to make concessions. Consequently, Nakhchivan became an exclave separated from the Azerbaijani mainland.

The annexation of Iravan had severe consequences for its indigenous Azerbaijani population and the cultural heritage of Azerbaijanis. In 1916, there were over 373,000 Azerbaijanis living in Iravan. However, according to census records from 1922, only 12,000 Azerbaijanis were registered.

In 1933, the territory of the Armenian SSR was divided into districts, and the name Zangazur was changed to new district names such as Gafan, Gorus, Garakilsa (Sisian), and Mehri.

The final phase of the “Armenianization” of Western Azerbaijan occurred in 1988 when over 300,000 ethnic Azerbaijanis were forcibly expelled from their ancestral lands. This expulsion was accompanied by anti-Azerbaijan sentiments, pogroms, and persecution of ethnic Azerbaijanis in Armenia. The underlying motive for this ethnic conflict was Armenia’s illegal territorial claims, particularly regarding the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. The deportation of Azerbaijanis set the stage for Armenia’s full-scale military attack on Azerbaijan, leading to the First Karabakh War from 1991 to 1994 and the subsequent occupation of internationally recognized Azerbaijani territories.