BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 14. Internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Khojaly, Khankendi, Khojavand, and other districts of Azerbaijan's Karabakh region, where Russian peacekeepers are temporarily stationed [under the trilateral statement signed by Azerbaijani, Armenian, and Russian leaders following the 2020 second Karabakh war], have made a statement, appealing to the world community, Trend reports.
The appeal was signed by 50 people.
"Despite the end of the Karabakh conflict three years ago, we still cannot return to our native lands. Armenia is conducting false propaganda, alleging that "only Armenians" lived in these regions. It denies the fact that Azerbaijanis have historically lived in these territories. We are the true and indigenous inhabitants of Khojaly, Shusha, Karkijahan, Malibayli, Gushchular, Meshali, and Garadaghli," the statement said.
"As a result of Armenia's aggressive policies against Azerbaijan, we survived big tragedies, genocide, and mass killings. By committing ethnic cleansing, Armenia attempted to erase our memory," the statement noted. "Our mosques and the graves of our loved ones were destroyed and desecrated, and our homes were ravaged. Fictional names were given to our toponyms. Many people departed this world with longing for their homeland."
"With immense pain and tormenting feelings, we only see our native places in photos and videos. The territories where we once lived happily have now turned into a 'gray zone'. The remnants of the Armenian armed forces [which have still remained contrary to the trilateral statement] must be completely withdrawn from these territories; the puppet regime's vestiges, created and still supported by Armenia, must self-dissolve; and illegal armed groups must be disarmed. This is not only our demand but that of all of Azerbaijan," the statement authors pointed out.
"The territorial integrity of Azerbaijan was fully ensured with the establishment of a checkpoint border in Lachin in April of this year. The bold and well-thought-out policy of the victorious Supreme Commander-in-Chief, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, has given us these happy days," the authors said. "Now, Karabakh and Eastern Zangazur are turning into paradise. The boundless joy of the residents of Zangilan, Lachin, Fuzuli, and Tartar, who have returned to their homes, inspires us and instills even greater hope that we too will soon be part of this Great Return."
"We address the Armenian population living in the Karabakh region: you can live happily under the flag of Azerbaijan, in accordance with its Constitution and laws. Do not poison your fate, the fate of your children, or the fate of future generations at the hands of Armenia and its illegal puppet regime. Karabakh must become a region of peace, coexistence, and prosperity," the authors noted.
"The 'gray zone' cannot exist forever; it is unbearable that we still cannot return to our homes. We declare that each of us believes in the victorious Supreme Commander-in-Chief, President Ilham Aliyev. We believe that we will return to Khojaly, Shusha, Khojavend, and Aghdara. For over 30 years, we never lost faith in this," the IDPs stressed. "Every year, on the day of the Khojaly genocide, we visit the Mother's Cry monument in Baku. A similar monument should be erected in our native Khojaly. We eagerly await the day when we can say, "Dear Khojaly, we have returned!"
"We call on the international community to demand that Armenia put an end to actions that undermine the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan and ensure our right to return to our homes," the statement's authors concluded.
Following the liberation of its territories from Armenian occupation in 2020, Azerbaijan initiated the long-awaited 'Great Return' program, which envisions the return of IDPs to their native lands.
Within the framework of the program, more than 2,000 former internally displaced persons have been resettled in restored or newly created settlements in liberated Zangilan, Lachin, Fuzuli, and Tartar.