Baku hosts III International Conference on return of Azerbaijanis to Armenia

The Third International Conference on "Cultural Heritage and the Right of Return: Restoring the Cultural Heritage of Azerbaijanis Displaced from Armenia as a Path to Justice, Reconciliation, and Peace" is underway in Baku.

The conference has several key objectives. It aims to affirm the right of return for Azerbaijanis from Western Azerbaijan as a fundamental framework for protecting and reviving the cultural heritage. It also aims to assess the current state of Azerbaijani cultural heritage in Armenia and to develop legal, diplomatic, and technical tools for its preservation and restoration. Another goal is to promote heritage restoration as a means toward justice, reconciliation, and peaceful coexistence.

The conference program includes a series of panel discussions:

"The Right of Return and Cultural Heritage: Legal and Moral Foundations"; "Tangible Heritage: Protecting the Physical Foundations of Return"; "Intangible Heritage: Revitalizing the Living Foundations of Return"; "International Cooperation: Mobilizing Global Support".

The event has drawn representatives from over 60 countries.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev delivered an address to the participants.

He stated that the Azerbaijani people, with their ancient statehood and rich cultural history, have repeatedly faced deprivation, deportation, and genocide over the past two centuries.

"After the relocation of Armenians to the ancestral Azerbaijani lands, and in the aftermath of massacres and illegal resettlements committed against Azerbaijanis in 1905–1907, 1918–1921, 1948–1953, and 1987–1991, hundreds of thousands of our compatriots were forced to leave their homeland and seek refuge in Azerbaijan",

Ilham Aliyev said.

The head of state outlined a series of historical facts, now confirmed by authoritative documents, including: the forced displacement of Azerbaijanis from mountainous regions of Armenia to warmer areas; the appropriation of their long-established properties; and the seizure, destruction, and alienation of their material and cultural monuments.

"Time and time again, Armenia destroyed the rich material and intangible cultural heritage of the Azerbaijanis who lived in Western Azerbaijan, including their shrines and cemeteries, in an attempt to erase the traces of the Azerbaijani people from its territory",

Ilham Aliyev said.

 

The President emphasized the importance of taking necessary steps, within the framework of international law and with the support of the global community, to assess the crimes against humanity committed against Azerbaijanis.