Chronicle: “Our deported compatriots settled in 58 regions of Azerbaijan”

The next programme in the West Azerbaijan Chronicle project was aired today.

Journalist Rufik Ismayilov was interviewed by Galib Gasimov, Head of the Office of the West Azerbaijan Community and Doctor of Philosophy and Art Studies.

He spoke about the reorganization of the Azerbaijani Refugee Society, which has been operating since 1989, in 2022 under the name of the Community of Western Azerbaijan, and the activities of the Community in the last two years. He said that after the reorganization of the Community, it worked mainly among Western Azerbaijanis in two directions. The first of them is the establishment of relations with our compatriots in the country, the preparation of their exact list and the creation of regional, urban and rural communities. According to the interviewer, such relations have already been established with our compatriots living in 58 regions of Azerbaijan and the necessary organizational work has been done.

The head of the office said that the second important direction in the activities of the West Azerbaijani Community is the mobilization of our compatriots living abroad in a new struggle for our historical lands. According to him, in the two years since we started, great things have been done in this field. For example, representatives of the West Azerbaijani community held meetings and conferences with our compatriots living in Germany, England, Turkey, Russia, Georgia and other countries. They were informed about the main goals of the Community. It was noted that the main goal is to achieve the return of West Azerbaijan in peace and security.

G. Gasimov said that the liberation of Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur from occupation in the 44-day war, large-scale construction works carried out in these areas in a short period of time and the return of former internally displaced persons to their ancestral lands have raised the hope of our compatriots who were deported from Western Azerbaijan for an early return to their homeland. The head of the office noted that the return to Western Azerbaijan should be considered as part of international law and global propaganda work at the grassroots level is being built in this direction.

G. Gasimov, who has been holding a responsible position in the cultural sector for many years and is also engaged in scientific activities, also spoke about our material and cultural heritage in Western Azerbaijan and the damage we have caused to it. He expressed solid facts and the work done to expose this vandalism of Armenia at the international level. He stressed that Armenians in Western Azerbaijan have caused great damage to the material and cultural heritage of Azerbaijanis and committed an act of vandalism.

The head of the office also drew attention to the steps that need to be taken in the direction of their social well-being, economic situation and employment after the return of our compatriots to our historical lands. He said that since the number of those who want to return to Western Azerbaijan is extremely large, ensuring their safety, property and other rights and the continuity of their work activities is a priority issue in the activities of the Community.

G. Gasimov also spoke about the village of Zod, Basarkechar district, Goycha district, in Western Azerbaijan, where he was born and raised. He said that a small number of Armenian families have settled in this historical place of ours, where about five thousand Azerbaijanis once lived and where many social facilities and enterprises operated. According to him, most of the houses in the village of Zod were destroyed by Armenian vandals.

It should be recalled that the aim of the Chronicle of Western Azerbaijan project is to preserve and promote the name of our historical lands, as well as the deportation of Azerbaijanis by Armenians, toponyms that existed in those territories, but their names have been erased, and countless examples of underground and surface material culture: ancient settlements, necropolises, mounds, remains of a castle, palace and fortification, caravanserai, bridges, burial chests, stone crosses, statues of horses and rams, temples, churches, mosques, pyres and homes are revealed, and the facts confirming that the area is a pure Oghuz-Turk settlement are brought to the world community.

Also the president Ilham Aliyev Regarding Western Azerbaijan, he said: “The map of the beginning of the 20th century once again shows that Western Azerbaijan is the historical land of Azerbaijan, the names of cities and villages are of Azerbaijani origin, and we know very well that Azerbaijani people have lived on the territory of present-day Armenia throughout history. Now the main task is to make the world community aware of this as well,” – according to him, it is about promoting the duties arising from the Concept of Return of the Western Azerbaijani Community developed by him.

It will also enlighten the thoughts of historians and researchers about Western Azerbaijan and the life story of deportees.

More details on the plot of Baku TV: