The Issue of 'Western Azerbaijan' Must be an Integral Part of the Peace Agenda: Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry

The issue of 'Western Azerbaijan' must be an integral part of the peace agenda between Armenia and Azerbaijan. This was stated by Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Khalaf Khalafov during a hearing of the parliamentary commission on human rights. Azerbaijani news outlets report on this.

“The return of Western Azerbaijanis to those territories is voluntary, and when they return to those areas, their safety must be guaranteed and socio-economic conditions must be created for them. Armenia must voluntarily take on and resolve these issues. This is a humanitarian tragedy for our people. In this regard, the community bears great responsibility,” said Khalafov.

It should be noted that today Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan described Aliyev's so-called 'Western Azerbaijan' initiative as strange. He pointed out that ten days after the Prague Agreement, Azerbaijani President Aliyev stated that the demarcation process between Armenia and Azerbaijan should be based on historical maps.

“Do you know what that means? That means Armenia has no sovereign territory, and the entire territory of the Republic of Armenia is referred to as 'Western Azerbaijan,' while simultaneously saying that we want peace and so on. This is a very strange situation. This is the main problem in our relations,” said Pashinyan. He noted that in Baku (and specifically President Ilham Aliyev), the Syunik region of the Republic of Armenia is referred to as the so-called 'Western Azerbaijan.'