BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 5. A unity had emerged between some Armenians and Azerbaijanis in Zangezur and Karabakh against the Soviet occupation, but it was later shattered as a result of the Armenian-Bolshevik rapprochement and cooperation with an armed group called the Montenegro Movement in Zangezur, French historian Maxime Gauin said, Trend reports.
The historian made the remark during a panel discussion of the 3rd international conference on "Cultural heritage and the right of return: restoration of the cultural heritage of Azerbaijanis expelled from Armenia as a path to justice, reconciliation, and peace" organized by the Western Azerbaijan Community today.
He noted that since 1987, hundreds of Azerbaijanis had been expelled from Armenia.
"By February 1988, this number had risen to 40,000. Later, the riots in Azerbaijan were exaggerated by certain circles organized by Armenia—in particular, some branches of the Armenian mafia and representatives of the Soviet militia—to divert attention from the events taking place in Armenia," Gauin recalled.
The historian emphasized that as a result, there has been a marked escalation in coordinated assaults targeting Azerbaijani nationals, coupled with a rapid intensification of forced displacements.
"Journalist Vladimir Bakhchinyan, working in Armenia, pointed out that some representatives of the Armenian leadership openly announced that they considered it necessary to completely destroy and expel Azerbaijanis. By the end of 1988, all Azerbaijanis in a number of small regions had been killed and expelled," he added.
From the year 1988 onward, a significant demographic shift occurred, resulting in the expulsion of more than 300,000 Azerbaijanis from the territory of Armenia. Additionally, during the extensive mass deportation operations conducted between 1988 and 1989, a documented minimum of 216 Azerbaijanis lost their lives.
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