Western Azerbaijan

Western Azerbaijan

Professor of Ibn Khaldun University: Historical injustice has occurred against Western Azerbaijan

Yaşar Sarı, Director of the Heydar Aliyev Center for Eurasian Studies at Ibn Haldun University

05 December 2025 10:20 (UTC +04:00)

The first wave of deportations, in which Azerbaijanis were expelled from their historical lands, occurred in 1905–1906, followed by 1918–1920, 1948–1953, and 1987, said Professor Yaşar Sarı, Director of the Heydar Aliyev Center for Eurasian Studies at Ibn Haldun University, during the panel session of the 3rd International Conference organized by the Western Azerbaijan Community on “Cultural heritage and the right to return: The restoration of the cultural heritage of Azerbaijanis displaced from Armenia as a path to justice, reconciliation, and peace,” APA reports.

He noted that the deportation process took place both during the Tsarist Empire and the Soviet Union period: “Western Azerbaijanis were completely expelled from their historical lands. In this way, the demographic structure was fundamentally changed. For this reason, historical injustice occurred against Western Azerbaijan.”

Y. Sarı stated that, first of all, attention should be paid to legal documents that emphasize the right of these people to return to their homeland.

Gunay Elshan