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Akbar Novruz

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The Western Azerbaijan Community (WAC) has expressed its gratitude to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev for his commitment to ensuring the peaceful, safe, and dignified return of Western Azerbaijanis to their homes, Azernews reports.

In a statement issued on January 7, 2025, the WAC emphasized its support for Ilham Aliyev’s vision for regional peace and security, highlighting the discriminatory ideologies prevalent in Armenia’s political circles as a major obstacle.

"The ideology of racial discrimination and radical nationalism prevailing in the political circles of Armenia is the greatest threat to human rights and peace. The video recording of the speech of the first President of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosyan in 1993, presenting the 'complete cleansing of Armenia and Karabakh from foreign nations' as a historical achievement, which has been circulated recently, the racist statement of the second President Robert Kocharyan from the rostrum of an international organization that 'Azerbaijanis and Armenians are ethnically incompatible,' and the inspiration of the third President Serzh Sargsyan and his party from the racist ideology of the fascist Garegin Nzhdeh 'Tsekhakronism' reflect the essence of this state," the statement read.

The WAC also expressed concern over Armenia's militarization policies and supported Azerbaijan's stance:

"We fully share the concern expressed by President Ilham Aliyev regarding the policy of mass armament pursued by Armenia and support the call to end its armament. Armenia, which has an aggressive past and is dominated by racist, revanchist ideologies, cannot act responsibly with military force, and its armament is unacceptable. Armenia's policy of complete denial of the historical injustices committed against us, Western Azerbaijanis, has no prospects."

The WAC concluded its statement with demands directed at the Armenian government, calling for an apology and practical steps for reconciliation:

"We demand that the Armenian government apologize for the deportation of Western Azerbaijanis, start a dialogue with the Western Azerbaijani Community, create conditions for their return, end the policy of destruction and distortion of the cultural heritage belonging to the Azerbaijani people, stop armament, and open lines of communication in accordance with its obligations."