The final declaration of the international conference "Return to Western Azerbaijan" has been published

The final declaration of the international conference on the topic "Return to Western Azerbaijan as an important condition for the rule of human rights", organized jointly by the Western Azerbaijan Community and the "Azerbaijan-Turkey House" Public Association, in partnership with the Baku International Center for Multiculturalism, ADA University and the Center for Analysis of International Relations, has been published in Ankara (Turkey).

As Report informs, the declaration emphasizes that the right to return, enshrined in international legal acts, is one of the foundations of international law and an important principle serving peace and coexistence.

It is noted that Azerbaijanis who lived in Western Azerbaijan (on the territory of present-day Armenia) were subjected to systematic ethnic cleansing and were forcibly expelled from their native lands during various periods of the 20th century - in 1918-1921, 1948-1953, and 1987-1991. As a result of these events, hundreds of thousands of Western Azerbaijanis became refugees, and their cultural heritage - mosques, cemeteries, and historical monuments - was destroyed.

The declaration notes that ensuring the right of return for Western Azerbaijanis is not only a matter of human rights protection but also a necessary condition for establishing justice, stability, and coexistence in the region. The safe and dignified return of Western Azerbaijanis to the lands of their ancestors is not only the restoration of historical justice but also an important step towards stability and reconciliation in the South Caucasus.

The conference participants called on the international community, including the UN, UNESCO, ICESCO, and other organizations, to take active steps to ensure the safe and dignified return of expelled Azerbaijanis, the restoration of their rights and cultural heritage. "Armenia should begin constructive dialogue with the Western Azerbaijan Society, allow monitoring missions of UNESCO and other relevant structures to protect and restore the cultural heritage of Western Azerbaijanis, as well as ensure their property rights," the document states.