The Western Azerbaijan Community has sent a letter to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, urging him to start a dialogue on the safe and dignified return of Azerbaijanis expelled from Armenia. The letter reads that the community has developed a concept of safe return based on international law and is determined to achieve the process of return by peaceful means, Azernews reports, citing the Community.
The Community calls on the Armenian government to create conditions for a safe and dignified return of the Azerbaijanis in line with the right of return established in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and other important international acts. The letter also emphasizes that the individual and collective rights of the Azerbaijanis should be provided after their return to their homeland.
In addition, the Community has sent a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, informing him of Armenia’s evasion of the Community’s dialogue proposal to ensure the return of Azerbaijanis expelled from Armenia, its denial of the right to return, and provocations aimed to prevent the reintegration of Armenians living in the Garabakh region of Azerbaijan. The letter calls upon the UN Secretary-General to make Armenia fulfill its commitments and to send a special interagency UN mission to Armenia to assist in the repatriation of expelled Azerbaijanis.
“With the official dissemination of these documents to the UN, the world public was most reliably informed about the goals and principles of the West Azerbaijan Community, as well as the fact that it is the initiator of the dialogue. All this leaves no room for denying the right of return of Azerbaijanis based on international law.
The Western Azerbaijan Community calls on the Armenian government to respect international law and human rights, to follow the example of Azerbaijan, which created conditions for the return of Armenians to the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan immediately after the 2020 war and is currently making efforts for their reintegration, and to ensure the safe and dignified return of Azerbaijanis expelled from Armenia to their homes,” the report says.
The Western Azerbaijan Community has consistently upheld the values of peace, reconciliation, and dignity, as well as respect for the territorial integrity of States throughout its pursuit of the right to return. The Community is determined to continue its peaceful efforts on the basis of international law in order to ensure the right of the expelled Azerbaijanis to return to their homes.