Western Azerbaijan Community denounces Scottish MP’s document As provocative, misleading

The Western Azerbaijan Community has issued a strong condemnation of a document presented by Kenneth Gibson, a Scottish MP on September 20.

The community criticized the use of the term "Artsakh," asserting that it is linked to ethnic cleansing and undermines Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and sovereignty, Caliber.Az reports.

In their official statement, the Western Azerbaijan Community declared, "We strongly condemn the document presented by MP Kenneth Gibson. The use of 'Artsakh' in this context undermines the legitimacy of Azerbaijan’s territorial claims."

The statement also highlighted that the document misinterprets the situation regarding Karabakh Armenians, framing their rejection of Azerbaijan's reintegration proposal and their subsequent departure as coercion. "Such claims are unfounded and ignore the complexities of the situation," the statement asserted.

The Western Azerbaijan Community further noted that the document completely overlooks the plight of one million Azerbaijanis who were ethnically cleansed in Armenia and in territories formerly occupied by Armenia. "There is no acknowledgment of the large-scale destruction wrought by Armenia in the occupied territories, nor any mention of the 1.5 million mines laid in these areas," the statement pointed out.

Additionally, the document fails to address Armenia's obstruction of the return of hundreds of thousands of displaced Azerbaijanis, framing their right to return negatively.

"The document ignores Armenia's systematic destruction of Azerbaijani mosques, cemeteries, and cultural heritage sites, which is a critical aspect of this issue," the community emphasized.

The statement concluded by suggesting that the document reflects a broader international campaign by certain factions that refuse to accept the resolution of the conflict in line with international law, asserting, "We demand that members of the Scottish Parliament recognize this provocation and take a stand against such misleading narratives."

By Vafa Guliyeva