(MENAFN- AzerNews)
Akbar Novruz
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The Initiative Group for the Return to Western Azerbaijan of the
Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan has issued a statement
highlighting Armenia's decades-long policy of ethnic cleansing and
systemic racism against Azerbaijanis, Azernews
reports.
“The conflict initiated by Armenia in 1987 subjected the
Azerbaijani people to unprecedented suffering,” the statement
reads.“More than a million Azerbaijanis were displaced from their
homeland, and this was not a side effect of the conflict but a
deliberate outcome of ethnic cleansing systematically carried out
by Armenia.”
The statement emphasized that racism has been institutionalized
as state policy in Armenia, resulting in mass atrocities and
cultural destruction.
“This state has carried out total and systematic ethnic
cleansing on its territory and in the Azerbaijani lands it occupied
for thirty years. Armenia has destroyed Azerbaijani cultural
heritage, looted natural resources, and deliberately contaminated
Azerbaijani territories with landmines. Only an ideology based on
racial hatred, radical nationalism, and violent extremism could
lead to such large-scale and ruthless crimes,” the group noted.
The Initiative Group cited a 1993 speech by former Armenian
President Levon Ter-Petrosyan as damning evidence of Armenia's
state responsibility for these crimes. In the speech, Ter-Petrosyan
described the ethnic cleansing of Azerbaijanis as a "historical
achievement," stating:
“Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh have solved the problem that the
Armenian people could not solve for 600 years. Armenia and Artsakh
have been completely cleansed of foreigners... If there were
180,000 foreigners in Armenia today, we would not have a state
today. This problem has been solved.”
The group stressed that this policy of racism and ethnic
cleansing persisted under subsequent Armenian leaders. Former
Presidents Robert Kocharyan and Serzh Sargsyan openly propagated
racist and revanchist ideologies, with Sargsyan boasting about his
role in the Khojaly massacre and adopting the fascist ideology of
Garegin Nzhdeh. Meanwhile, current Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan
continues these policies by obstructing the return of Azerbaijanis
expelled from Armenia.
The statement also warned of the dangers posed by Armenia's
ongoing militarization:
“In the context of Armenia's racist and revanchist policy, its
current large-scale armament poses a serious threat to peace and
security. President Ilham Aliyev has clearly expressed the scale of
this threat, and we fully support his vision for establishing peace
and stability in the region.”
The Initiative Group called on the international community to
take action:
“We urge parliaments and the global community to condemn
Armenia's state-level racism, human rights violations, and rapid
militarization. As a member of the United Nations and a party to
numerous human rights conventions, Armenia must be held
accountable. We demand that the Armenian government cease armament,
abandon racist policies, ensure the safe and dignified return of
Western Azerbaijanis to their homeland, and engage in dialogue with
the Western Azerbaijani Community.”
The group expressed gratitude to President Ilham Aliyev for his
support in championing the rights of Western Azerbaijanis and for
his dedication to regional peace and stability.
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