Western Azerbaijan Community urges Armenia to cease its armament policy

The Western Azerbaijan Community on Friday demanded that the Armenian government respect the right of Western Azerbaijanis to return, immediately cease its armament policy, and remove territorial claims from its basic documents.

“Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan made several harmful and unfounded remarks regarding bilateral relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as the issue of Western Azerbaijan, in his interview with the "Armenpress" media outlet on December 19, 2004,” the Community said in a statement, News.Az reports.

“Firstly, it should be noted that the Prime Minister's attempt to present the cause of Western Azerbaijanis to return to their ancestral lands as a territorial claim and his objection to the term “Western Azerbaijan” are completely baseless. It is important to emphasize that the term “Western Azerbaijan,” which refers to the areas including the former Iravan Khanate, Zangezur, and other regions historically inhabited by Azerbaijanis and subjected to total ethnic cleansing by Armenia, is used within the framework of the self-identification rights of Azerbaijanis who lived in those territories for centuries. This term is rooted in historical truths,” the Community noted.

The Community stressed that it is striving to achieve the goal of return through peaceful means, in accordance with international legal norms and principles, including respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of states. “In this regard, it is particularly notable that the Community officially reached out to the Armenian government with a proposal for dialogue. The fact that Western Azerbaijanis, who have been subjected to ethnic cleansing, discrimination, and violations of property and other rights by the Armenian government, have taken the first step to initiate dialogue demonstrates their commitment to reconciliation and peace. However, it is regrettable that the Armenian government has ignored the Community's offer for dialogue.”

“In response to N. Pashinyan’s attempt to justify Armenia’s armament policy as a sovereign decision, it is worth reminding him that Armenia, with its deeply entrenched revanchist and radical ideology, has proven incapable of acting responsibly with military power. Considering this and Armenia’s aggressive past, allowing it to freely arm itself is admissible,” it added.

The Community emphasized that Pashinyan’s refusal to renounce the territorial claims enshrined in the Armenian Constitution, coupled with his baseless assertion that Azerbaijan’s Constitution allegedly contains territorial claims against Armenia, indicates his lack of interest in signing the peace agreement.

News.Az