BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 14. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, speaking about the right to return of Azerbaijanis expelled from Armenia at his press conference, showed an unconstructive position that is contrary to fundamental human rights, Chairman of the Western Azerbaijan Community Aziz Alakbarli told reporters, Trend reports.
"The prime minister's attempt to refute the fact of the expulsion of Azerbaijanis from Armenia is of particular regret. He’s well aware that in 1988 the Armenian government expelled hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis on the basis of ethnic discrimination, using physical violence and depriving them of education, medical and social services,” Alakbarli said.
According to him, the fact that the vast majority of these people fled within a very short period of time (November 24 - December 5, 1988) testifies to the degree of systematic organization of this crime.
“The expulsion of Azerbaijanis from Armenia is a crime against humanity. We would like to emphasize to the prime minister that the denial of a crime against humanity is a continuation of this crime,” the community’s head noted.
Moreover, the fact that the prime minister considers the right of the expelled Azerbaijanis to return solely in the context of the territory speaks volumes, Alakbarli further said.
“According to the head of the government of Armenia, the compact residence of an ethnic group is understood only as a territory. Such thinking explains why Armenia has become a mono-ethnic territory. This also explains the territorial claims of Armenia and the occupation policy towards Azerbaijan,” he pointed out.
The return of Azerbaijanis to native homes in accordance with the international mechanisms of guarantees and verifications is their inalienable and fundamental right, the head of the community stressed.
“Our right of return is not a topic for discussion. As a Community, we would like to realize our right to a peaceful return through dialogue. We once again call on the prime minister to respect the rule of human rights and stop obstructing our return," Alakbarli added.
Previously, the Western Azerbaijan Community sent a letter to Pashinyan, calling on him to start a dialogue on the issue of return.