BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 11. There is no basis for the Armenians resettled to Azerbaijani lands in the South Caucasus at the beginning of the 19th century to claim any cultural heritage from these territories that predates their arrival, said MP Aziz Alakbarli, the Chairperson of the Board of the Western Azerbaijan Community,Trend reports.
Speaking at the scientific-practical conference “In the footsteps of the deported heritage”, Alakbarli stated that the last mass deportation of Azerbaijanis from Western Azerbaijan in the years between 1987-1991 provided an opportunity for Armenians and the government of Armenia to continue their harmful policies that had been developing over the past two centuries.
“The process, which started with the Russian Empire's occupation of the South Caucasus, was approaching a destructive end in the 21st century until the powerful Republic of Azerbaijan intervened and stopped this infamous process, becoming a decisive force in the region,” Alakbarli said.
The community chairperson also pointed out that Azerbaijan is not only ensuring the Great Return to the occupied territories but is also actively working to defend the rights of refugees displaced during the last deportation from Western Azerbaijan.
"Our scholars and intellectuals have significant responsibilities in this process, particularly in uncovering the truths of Western Azerbaijan, exposing Armenian falsifications, and communicating these facts to the global community.
Recent findings by our researchers on the Tepebashi residential area in Yerevan, which still holds the last traces of Azerbaijanis, along with their warnings about Armenia's plans to destroy mosques and historical buildings in the area, have once again confirmed that the policy to erase Azerbaijani cultural heritage from the region continues today. Unfortunately, the appeals made by Azerbaijani scholars, intellectuals, and the Western Azerbaijan Community to UNESCO and other international organizations on this matter have yet to yield any results.
This is why the publication of research works such as 'The Great Return: Our Material and Cultural Heritage in Western Azerbaijan' is of utmost importance today. These efforts aim to expose the ongoing process of erasing our people's traces, including the alteration of place names. However, it is essential that special attention is given to ensuring the accuracy of facts in such publications," Alakbarli concluded.
Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel