President Ilham Aliyev highlighted one of the 20th and early 21st century’s most under-reported tragedies, systematic ethnic cleansing of hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis from their ancestral lands in what is now Armenia, in a powerful speech at the Second International Conference on “The Right to Return: Advancing Justice for Azerbaijanis Expelled from Armenia” organized by Western Azerbaijan Community in Baku.

In his speech on December 5, 2024, highlights a sad fact: today over 120 million people across the world are forced to live in exile, but the international community has too often turned a blind eye to the plight of Azerbaijanis who were forced to flee Western Azerbaijan, in successive waves, and deported in 1918-1921, 1948-1953, and 1987-1991. Through these brutal campaigns, today all Azerbaijani people have left Armenia, and the country has become a mono-ethnic state due to the policy of the Armenians.

Heritage Erased

Azerbaijanis had lived, prospered, and created a rich culture in these lands for centuries. The almost complete destruction of historical sites, ancient burial grounds, mosques, settlements and cultural treasures of Azerbaijan is Armenia’s answer. The world-famous Azerbaijani art of Ashiq – included in UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage list – has also been heavily damaged.

The Blue Mosque in Yerevan is one of the last remaining monuments of Azerbaijan Islamic architecture, but even it is the target of deliberate attempts to destroy its originality and rename it. These actions are not only cultural vandalism but a historic denial and intolerance as well.

From Occupation to Victory and the Great Return

President Ilham Aliyev loudly reminded the world that Armenia did not confine itself to expulsions and cultural destruction. It has initiated military attacks, illegally seized Azerbaijani territories, carried out additional ethnic cleansing, destroyed cities and villages and left millions of square metres of the country littered with land mines.

The triumph of the Patriotic War in 2020 secured Azerbaijan’s victory and shaped the history. It has returned the territorial unity, allowed the return of the displaced Azerbaijanis back to Karabakh and East Zangezur and has proved that international law, when courageously implemented, holds great power. The current “Great Return” State Program has been successfully rehabilitating the liberated lands and resettling families in their homeland.

A Human Rights Imperative, Not a Territorial Threat

The sole objective of the Western Azerbaijan Community is to ensure the return, via a peaceful, safe and dignified manner, of the Azerbaijani people, who were expelled from their homeland. It’s really a human rights problem based on international law and the universal right of return.

Yet Armenia continues to reject dialogue, perpetuate hateful narratives, maintain territorial claims in its constitution, and pursue rapid militarization. It has dismissed repeated calls from the Community for negotiations and refuses to allow a UNESCO fact-finding mission to assess the destruction and alteration of Azerbaijani cultural heritage.

But Armenia refuses to engage in discussion, encourages the continuation of hateful narratives, has territorial claims in its constitution, and is aggressively moving toward quick militarization. It has ignored the Community’s repeated invitations for negotiations, and has rejected a UNESCO fact finding mission to evaluate the damage and changes to Azerbaijani cultural heritage.

A Call to the International Community

President Aliyev’s message is clear and principled: the international community must help support the legitimate, peaceful efforts of the Western Azerbaijan Community. The same principles of justice and human rights that were applied in the return of Azerbaijanis to Karabakh should now be used to return Western Azerbaijanis.

The only way to achieve lasting peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia is for Armenia to get involved in a constructive dialogue. The region can achieve reconciliation and stability only through a realistic approach that includes dialogue, respecting the truth of the past, and respecting the right of return.

The conference in Baku serves as a vital platform to bring this long-suppressed truth to the global stage. Azerbaijan’s consistent position — rooted in justice, international law, and the protection of fundamental human rights — deserves strong international backing. The unshakeable position of Azerbaijan based on justice, international law and the respect of fundamental human rights is well deserving of international support.

It’s time to stop being quiet! The world should acknowledge the aspirations of the Azerbaijanis expelled from Armenia and their right to return to their historic homeland. Justice long deferred is justice never did come.