Azerbaijan, Baku, Feb.1 / Trend M.Aliyev /
Rights of Azerbaijanis deported from Armenia should be recognized, Deputy Chairman and Executive Secretary of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party (NAP) Ali Ahmedov said at a meeting of the Azerbaijani parliament on Wednesday.
He said this year marks 65th anniversary of deportation of Azerbaijanis from Armenia.
"As a result of this deportation monoethnic state was created in Armenia," he said.
People deported during the Stalin regime were rehabilitated, their rights were restored and only Azerbaijanis couldn't return to their native homes.
"Rights of Azerbaijanis, deported from Armenia, should be recognized. The Azerbaijani Parliament should express its position toward the fact that dozens of thousands of people were killed as a result of deportation," Mr Ahmedov said.
In XX century mass deportation of Azerbaijanis from Armenia in 1948-1956, 1987-1988 is divided into 4 stages. As statistical and archive documents confirm, as a result of this deportation over 1.5 million Azerbaijanis, living in Armenia, were driven out of places of their historical residence.
After the foundation of Armenian SSR by the decision of the Supreme Council names of 698 human settlements out of 940, where Azerbaijanis lived, were renamed into Armenian names. But Armenia didn't stop at this. Change of names continued after total deportation of Azerbaijanis from the territory of this republic. By the decree of former Armenian president Levon Ter-Petrossian dated April 9, 1991 Azerbaijani names of 91 human settlements were changed to Armenian.