President Ilham Aliyev’s meeting with a group of intellectuals from West Azerbaijan on December 24 in the administrative building of the West Azerbaijan Community had a symbolic meaning pointing to the future. Everyone remembers that many years ago, the head of state spent his birthday together with internally displaced persons and gave the message of returning to our homelands one day. Today, that return is celebrated in our country with great joy and enthusiasm. And now, on the same day, the meeting of the President with the intellectuals from Western Azerbaijan can be considered as the initial signs of our return to our ancient lands.
Analyzing the deportation of our compatriots from the ancient lands of Azerbaijan, the President stated that this process began after National Leader Heydar Aliyev left the Soviet leadership in November 1987. Our ungrateful neighbors, who could not even raise their voices during the years when the Great Leader was represented in the Soviet leadership, were left with their hands after the genius left office.
Rashad Mahmudov, MP of Milli Majlis, member of YAP Board of Directors, expressed these views in his statement to AZERTAC .
The deputy emphasized that two weeks after that incident, Armenian nationalists raised their voices and another crime against our people was started in the former Armenia. As a result of the deportation, which Moscow not only remained silent, but even supported, Azerbaijanis were violently removed from their historical lands, Zangezur, Goycha, and Iravan provinces.
In his speech, President Ilham Aliyev recalled historical statistics and noted that only Azerbaijanis lived in the territory called Armenia, even at that time in more than 170 villages. At the same time, Azerbaijanis were the majority in about 90 villages, and Azerbaijanis lived in more than 300 towns and villages. All of them, approximately 200,000 of our compatriots, were removed from their ancestral homes, a large number of Azerbaijanis were tortured and killed, and all these crimes were taking place in front of the Soviet government. As if all this was lost, a crime was committed against our people in Karabakh.
Rashad Mahmudov said that the special point in the speech of the President of Azerbaijan was related to bringing the crimes committed by Armenians to the international community. In this regard, the head of our state touched upon the importance of the information struggle and set forth the most important task of conveying the truths of our historical land, West Azerbaijan, to the world, as in the Second Karabakh War, and noted the need to strengthen the activity of the West Azerbaijan Community abroad, and to carry out joint activities with the Azerbaijani diaspora organizations.
Azerbaijan has always proved by its actions that it is a supporter of peace. Our country stopped the war even when it had complete military superiority in the victorious war and agreed to the gradual liberation of the lands. But Armenia did not value this humanism enough and continued its military and political provocations even after the act of capitulation. As our President stated, Azerbaijan was forced to respond to the latest provocations in September of this year.
Thus, Armenia experienced a military bankruptcy again, and as a result, our historical cities are now in front of our eyes through visual observation, and the September clashes not only served as another lesson for Armenians, but also insured us against big problems in the future.
Commenting on the action organized by members of the civil society on the Khankendi-Lachin road, the head of our country stated that the demands of public representatives are justified and exploitation of our natural resources is unacceptable.
In the end, Rashad Mahmudov noted that the views expressed by President Ilham Aliyev at the event place a serious responsibility on each of us, like an ideological map. Our goals and objectives are clear, we must be active for the sake of Azerbaijan and restore historical justice with a joint step. Just as we liberated Karabakh by overcoming all obstacles under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev. The target is Western Azerbaijan! Let there be no doubt, we will achieve this under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, just as the Victorious Team stated, we will hold such a wonderful meeting in Western Azerbaijan. All obstacles seem small in front of our power! Long live great Azerbaijan!
Source: AZERTAC, Azerbaijan State News Agency