The allegations made by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan at the press conference on January 8, 2025, regarding the deportation of the West Azerbaijan Community and Azerbaijanis from the current territory of Armenia in general are a falsification of history by Armenia.

Axar.az reports that this was stated in the statement of the press secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, Aykhan Hajizada, regarding the allegations made by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, Ararat Mirzoyan, during the press conference regarding the West Azerbaijan Community.

"It is a historical fact that Azerbaijanis were suppressed in their historical lands with the massive transfer of Armenians to the South Caucasus during the last two hundred years. As a result of this plan, which was implemented step by step, Azerbaijanis were expelled from the territory now called Armenia - from their native historical land where they lived for thousands of years and were subjected to mass murders and massacres. Thousands of historical and cultural monuments and settlements belonging to our people were destroyed, and the name of more than 2000 toponyms was changed During the years 1948-1953, about 150,000 Azerbaijanis were deported from their historical lands in the territory of present-day Armenia. There are historical and legal documents that prove all this.

Claims of the Armenian Foreign Minister that during the last deportation, compensation was allegedly paid to the Azerbaijanis and that they voluntarily left the territories are completely unfounded. The fact that 216 Azerbaijanis were killed as part of the ethnic cleansing policy in 1987-1991 proves once again that the policy of ethnic cleansing against Azerbaijanis was carried out with pain and blood.

Regarding the above, it is hypocritical for Armenia to present the use of the term West Azerbaijan Community of Azerbaijan as a "violation of international law" and "territorial claim". The fact that Armenian officials deny the right of Azerbaijanis to return to their land under various pretexts is a clear example of the aim of "Armenizing" the territories of Azerbaijan and preventing the return of Azerbaijanis by all means.

The opinions and policies of the former President of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosyan, who presented the presence of Azerbaijanis in the region as a problem, declared the ethnic cleansing of Azerbaijanis and the occupation of Azerbaijani territories as a "solution to the 600-year-old problem", and other later Armenian leaders showed that the racist-chauvinist national ideology formed the ideological tendency of Armenia.

In addition to the above, it is absurd that Armenia, which refused to withdraw its armed forces from Azerbaijan after the 2020 war, continued its policy of militarization and illegal activities in areas inhabited by Armenian residents, and obstructed the process of reintegration of Armenian residents into Azerbaijan, is now talking about international law.

Instead of trampling on the rights of the representatives of the West Azerbaijani Community, who were forcibly expelled from their native lands in the territory of present-day Armenia, and preventing dialogue with them at all costs, the Armenian side should respond to the calls of this community for a dialogue with Armenia aimed at a peaceful, dignified and safe return. A practical indicator that Armenia has given up the concept of "ethnic disharmony" and the "title of a mono-ethnic state based on ethnic cleansing" and has chosen peaceful coexistence can be created by creating conditions for the return of members of the West Azerbaijan Community to their historical lands," Aykhan Hajizada said.