Today, the president of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev In the center of Baku he inaugurated the monument to Ashiq Alasgar (1821-1926), a great craftsman, genius of Azerbaijani poetry and brilliant face of the Goycha ashiq school, and at the opening ceremony he gave a historic speech on the issue of the return of Azerbaijanis expelled from Western Azerbaijan.
Oku.Az informs that the West Azerbaijan Community issued a statement in this regard.
The statement mentions that Ashiq lived and created in Alasgar Western Azerbaijan, Goycha district, which is one of the historical centers of Azerbaijani Ashiq art, created works that reflect the spirit of our people with his incomparable artistic and aesthetic mastery, and breathed new life to the ancient traditions of the art of ozan-ashiq.
“Despite the expulsion of the entire Goycha population by the Dashnak government of Armenia in 1918 and their obligation to live as refugees until 1921, and despite strong pressure from the government of the Armenian SSR, the Goycha ashiq school It was developed during the Soviet period. National leader Heydar Aliyev played an indispensable role in this work. It was thanks to his personal efforts that Ashiq Alasgar’s 150th birthday was celebrated at the state level and his tombstone was erected in the native village of Aghkilsa.
As a result of ethnic cleansing, not a single Azerbaijani remained in the districts of Western Azerbaijan, where Azerbaijanis were in the majority, and the centers of Azerbaijani culture, literature and art and the cultural heritage of Azerbaijan were severely damaged,” he stressed. the document.
According to the community statement, President Ilham Aliyev’s close patronage of Ashiq Alasgar’s heritage is also an indication of his attention to the issue of return to Western Azerbaijan, to Azerbaijani culture, literature and art, which were damaged by Armenia’s Occupation policy, ethnic cleansing and racial discrimination:
“As can be seen in the president’s speech, Ashiq Alasgar’s deep familiarity with the painful path of his life as a refugee is a manifestation of how closely he cares about the fate of Western Azerbaijanis.
By order of President Ilham Aliyev, on the occasion of the 200th birthday of Ashiq Alasgar, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva The inclusion of Ashiq art in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List played an invaluable role in perpetuating Ashiq Alasgar’s creativity as a universal value.
The West Azerbaijani community said that President Ilham Aliyev’s expression of confidence that West Azerbaijanis will return to their ancestral lands is a great source of motivation for us:
“The liberation of Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur and the implementation of the Great Return program show that the day when we will return to our native lands is not far away.
We, as the Community of West Azerbaijan, fully support the calls of Mr. President aimed at restoring justice, unity of our people and indomitable spirit. From now on we will actively participate in all the measures that our State adopts to guarantee our peaceful, dignified and safe return to our native lands.
As the president stated, Ashiq Alasgar’s life path embodies the destiny of all Western Azerbaijanis. The patriotic poet, attached to the word, art and humanist values, was a refugee from his native country, but he was not discouraged, he returned to his country at the age of 100, restored his burned house and lived there until the last days of his life. life. We are not discouraged; since we returned in 1921, we will return again.
To President Ilham Aliyev and the First Lady for the attention and care shown by Ashiq Alasgar and for Ashiq’s art in Azerbaijan as a whole. Thanking Mehriban Aliyeva, the Community added that with our unity and national will, we will turn the unjust pages of history and return to our countries of origin:
“The words with which the President concluded his speech are historic statements that announce our return:
“Today, the erection of the monument to the outstanding representative of Western Azerbaijanis is, naturally, first of all, a sign of the Azerbaijani people’s respect for the memory of Ashiq Alasgar. However, at the same time, this monument is an event that invites all Western Azerbaijanis and all the Azerbaijani people to unite for action. We are waiting impatiently, we believe, I believe, you also believe that the day will come when we will restore the monument of Ashiq Alasgar destroyed by the Armenians and hold a similar ceremony. in the village of Aghkilsa.
We, Western Azerbaijanis, believe in our return!”
