President Aliyev Addresses Historical Expulsions of Azerbaijanis by Armenia

President Ilham Aliyev presented a broad insight into the historical expulsions of Azerbaijanis from Western Azerbaijan (modern-day Armenia), during his address at the second Global Media Forum held in Shusha last week.

He also shared his optimistic vision for future reconciliation and humanitarian cooperation.

President Aliyev shed light on the expulsion of nearly 300,000 Azerbaijanis from Western Azerbaijan in the late 1980s, emphasizing that the forced expulsions began much earlier. He traced the origins back to 1918 and the post-World War II era, highlighting Soviet directives that led to significant deportations under the guise of repatriating Armenians from the Western countries.

“Then in the 1940s and 50s, several decrees were adopted by the Soviet government, the leadership of the country, as hundreds of thousands were deported then to the Kura-Araz lowland, a place completely unfit for life and completely different in terms of the natural and climatic conditions from Zangezur, Goycha and other territories of Western Azerbaijan where they used to live before. That is, many of them simply could not stand it and died,” President Aliyev said.

He added that the ethnic cleansing of Azerbaijanis by Armenia in the late 1980s was a critical starting point for the subsequent conflict, the true narratives of which have been deliberately hidden by the Western media, including the Russian media in the 1990s.

The Azerbaijani president said the media presented a completely one-sided view, perpetuating the false narrative of Armenia. Meanwhile, the brutal deportation of Azerbaijanis from areas like the Gafan district in modern-day Armenia was entirely ignored. This event was the initial spark that ignited a much larger conflict in the Karabakh region, subjecting the people of Azerbaijan to significant hardships, including destructive deportations.

The western edge of Azerbaijan historically encompassed lands that were initially settled by ethnic Azerbaijanis. However, these lands were included in destructive plans developed by the Russian imperial and Soviet authorities. The city of Iravan (modern-day Yerevan) and the Zangezur region were among the centers of Azerbaijani population and culture before their forcible separation from the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR) in 1918 and 1920, respectively.

Iravan was originally inhabited by ethnic Azerbaijanis after its establishment by their ancestors. Although Iravan was “willingly” handed over to the newly established Armenian state by the ADR government, historical sources claim that this act was organized and implemented forcibly under foreign pressure.

Zangezur is a historically Azerbaijani region that now forms the southern part of present-day Armenia as well as a portion of Azerbaijan’s territory. During the 11th and 12th centuries, Zangezur was part of the Seljuk Empire, which further expanded Turkic-Islamic influence within the region. Subsequently, Zangezur faced invasions from Mongol-Tatar tribes and the Timurid Empire. From the 15th to the 18th century, the region was part of medieval Azerbaijani states, including Garagoyunlu, Aghgoyunlu, and Safavids.

Demographic changes occurred in Iravan and the Zangezur region during the rule of Tsarist Russia and the Soviet Union. Under the Russian Empire, a massive relocation of Armenians took place from Ottoman and Iranian territories to the South Caucasus, including Iravan, Zangezur, and other Azerbaijani territories. Similar population transfers continued from 1904 to 1915, resulting in the relocation of over 260,000 ethnic Armenians to Azerbaijani territories. Protests against these actions were largely disregarded, and approximately 130,000 Armenians were relocated to Azerbaijani provinces such as Iravan and Yelizavetpol (Ganja).

During 1905-1907 and 1914-1921, Armenian armed groups committed massacres in Zangezur, resulting in the deaths of approximately half a million indigenous Azerbaijanis and other local Muslims. During this period, 115 Muslim villages in Zangezur were completely destroyed.

Iravan was ceded to the newly established Armenian Republic on May 29, 1918. Following the subjugation of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic by Bolshevik forces on April 28, 1920, a significant part of the Zangezur region was also ceded to the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic on November 30, 1920. These territorial annexations were facilitated by the Soviet Empire, which forced the Azerbaijani authorities to make concessions. Consequently, the Nakhchivan region became an exclave separated from the Azerbaijani mainland.

The annexation of Iravan had severe consequences for its indigenous Azerbaijani population and the cultural heritage of Azerbaijanis. In 1916, there were over 373,000 Azerbaijanis living in Iravan. However, according to census records from 1922, only 12,000 Azerbaijanis were registered.

In 1933, the territory of the Armenian SSR was divided into districts, and the name Zangezur was changed to districts such as Gafan, Gorus, Garakilsa (Sisian), and Mehri.

The final phase of the “Armenianization” of Western Azerbaijan occurred in 1988 when nearly 300,000 ethnic Azerbaijanis were forcibly expelled from their ancestral lands. This expulsion was accompanied by anti-Azerbaijan sentiments, pogroms, and persecution of ethnic Azerbaijanis in Armenia. The underlying motive for this ethnic conflict was Armenia’s illegal territorial claims, particularly regarding the Karabakh (Garabagh) region of Azerbaijan. The deportation of Azerbaijanis set the stage for Armenia’s full-scale military attack on Azerbaijan, leading to the First Karabakh War from 1991 to 1994 and the subsequent occupation of internationally recognized territories of Azerbaijan.

Despite these historical grievances, President Aliyev expressed hope for a future where Azerbaijanis could return to their ancestral lands. He reaffirmed Azerbaijan's commitment to peace and stability in the region, hoping that the Armenian leadership would demonstrate the same commitment, allowing for a peaceful resolution and the return of displaced Azerbaijanis. He highlighted the need for clear statements from the Armenian government on how they plan to facilitate the return of Azerbaijanis to their historical lands.

“According to our reliable information, 90 percent of villages inhabited by Azerbaijanis have no life in them now, i.e. they are empty. They have been reduced to stones, just like Fuzuli was reduced to stones for 30 years, Aghdam, and all other Azerbaijani towns and villages. Some villages there are inhabited by Armenian population. This is why I deeply believe that this day will definitely come,” the president of Azerbaijan said.

President Aliyev capped his words with his previous statement: “We will not go there in tanks; we will go there in cars. I still say that now.”