Western Azerbaijan

Archive documents revealing the real reason for the deportation of Azerbaijanis from Armenia are in APA

Although the territories of Yerevan, Zangezur, and Goycha, which are the ancient lands of Azerbaijan, are considered part of modern-day Armenia, there are numerous documents in the state archives of Azerbaijan's northern neighbor, Russia, that prove these areas belong to Azerbaijan and Azerbaijanis. These documents reflect that the toponyms and place names in Armenia originally belonged to Azerbaijan, but were later armenianized by being changed. At the same time, a considerable number of documents related to the deportation of Azerbaijanis from Armenia in 1948-1953 can also be found in the Russian archives. These documents are preserved today in the Russian State Archive of Socio-Political History called RGASPI, the State Archive of the Russian Federation, and the Russian State Archive of the Economy.

APA’s special correspondent in Russia, Farid Akbarov has viewed documents in the Russian archives related to the deportation of Azerbaijanis from Western Azerbaijan, present-day Armenia, in the 1940s and 1950s. He has obtained copies of the USSR Council of Ministers' decisions, No. 4083 dated December 23, 1947, and No. 754 dated March 10, 1948.

The decisions reveal that the reason for the forcible expulsion of Azerbaijanis from their ancestral lands was the resettlement of Armenians from abroad to these areas. The archive documents also reflect that the forcible relocation of Western Azerbaijanis was met with protest by Azerbaijani compatriots. During his work in the archive, our correspondent faced certain difficulties. Specifically, access to a number of archive documents related to the deportation of Azerbaijanis from Armenia was restricted under various excuses.

Stalin, unable to acquire land from Türkiye chose Azerbaijanis living in the Armenian SSR as victims

The leadership of the Soviet Union, which emerged victorious from World War II by taking advantage of its military strength and growing political influence in the world, decided to use the situation to reclaim the territories of Kars, Ardahan, and Artvin, which Soviet Russia had voluntarily given to Türkiye in 1921. One of the arguments of the official Moscow regarding the revision of the Soviet Union-Türkiye border was the necessity for Armenian repatriates who arrived in the Soviet Union in large numbers from abroad to reunite with their fellow countrymen within the framework of a unified Soviet Socialist Republic of Armenia. In fact, this thesis was also transmitted to the Armenian diaspora abroad from the Kremlin. Moscow's embassies abroad were instructed to establish contact with the diasporas in the countries where Armenians resided. Because the Kremlin needed a formal request from the Armenians abroad to justify reclaiming land from Türkiye. The Armenians abroad did not miss the opportunity... They appealed to the Soviet Union. Türkiye, relying on the political support of the United States and Great Britain resisting Moscow’s pressures refused to give up its territories to the Soviet Union. Unable to acquire land from Türkiye, the Soviet leadership chose to sacrifice Azerbaijanis living in the Armenian SSR for the welfare of Armenians abroad. Thus, the Kremlin decided to expel 130,000 Azerbaijanis from their ancestral lands for the benefit of the Armenians abroad.

Historian Eldar Abbasov, who has conducted research in Russia's state archives for many years stated that in the decision adopted by the USSR Council of Ministers on December 23, 1947, it was planned to relocate a total of 100,000 Azerbaijanis from Armenia to Azerbaijan over a period of three years: 10,000 in 1948, 40,000 in 1949, and 50,000 in 1950.

"In fact, this process was not easy at all. In this regard, there is a "top secret" report from May 3, 1948, by the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Armenian SSR, Horen Grigoryan. It discusses the mood of the population across all districts. As you know, relocation was supposed to take place from five districts. Azerbaijanis had to be relocated from Amasiya — Amasiya was almost 90% made up of Azerbaijanis — Vedi, Zangibasar, Sisyan, and Basarkecher. The report prepared by Grigoryan shows that Azerbaijanis categorically rejected this decision. They absolutely did not want to leave the lands of their ancestors," said Eldar Abbasov, a candidate of historical sciences.

The forcible expulsion of Azerbaijanis from their homeland - like the experiences of other nations during the war years - although there was no punishment for crimes against the Soviet government, it turned into a real tragedy for tens of thousands of families. In essence, the Azerbaijanis who were deported became hostages to Stalin’s desire to redivide the territories of the world after World War II.

Moscow still refrains from releasing archive documents related to the deportation of Azerbaijanis to the public

Although numerous documents related to the deportation of Azerbaijanis from Armenia exist in the Russian archives, official Moscow still refrains from releasing these documents to the public. Thus, in response to our request to study the documents related to the deportation of Azerbaijanis in “RGASPI,” the archive replied: “Access to the documents you are interested in cannot be granted without the opinion of the authorized interested bodies.” With a similar excuse by the Russian State Archive, permission to take those documents was denied, and in general, the archive materials were not made available for study.

We obtained important documents related to the deportation of Azerbaijanis from the Russian State Archive of the Economy 

Nevertheless, despite difficulties, we managed to access a portion of the archive documents related to the forced expulsion of Azerbaijanis from Armenia, stored in the Russian State Archive of the Economy. This archive houses the Main Administration for Resettlement of the Council of Ministers of the USSR. Fund No. 5675 contains many unique documents concerning the deportation of Azerbaijanis. These documents record the relocation process of Azerbaijani families from specific districts and villages of the Armenian SSR to districts located in the Kura-Aras lowland of Azerbaijan, the difficulties and problematic situations encountered during this process, and the Azerbaijanis’ unwillingness to leave their ancestral lands. At the same time, reports prepared for the Central Committee by employees of the Main Administration for Resettlement of the Council of Ministers of the USSR regarding their assignments to Azerbaijan and Armenia in 1948–53, the forced relocation of Azerbaijanis, and the settlement of Armenians from abroad by being brought in the ancestral lands from which Azerbaijanis were forcibly removed, are also reflected in these documents.

Eldar Abbasov believes that aside from the Russian State Archive of the Economy, the most important archive is the former Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union: “Today, that archive consists of two parts. One is ‘RGASPI,’ the other is ‘RGANI.’ ‘RGASPI’ contains materials up to the year 1953. The materials that interest us in connection with this matter are located in ‘RGASPI.’ The most important and most interesting fund for us here is the 17th fund of the Central Committee and the 555th Stalin fund. These include correspondence between the Central Committee and the Azerbaijani Central Committee, as well as the Armenian Central Committee. Unfortunately, we cannot obtain these correspondences either, we don’t have access to them, they are not provided to researchers.”

Although the documents in the archive indicate the fact of deportation, Russian historians deny it

Although there are numerous documents based on concrete facts in Russia's state archives today, most of the country’s historians deny that Azerbaijanis were forcibly expelled from Armenia. They do not call this historical fact a deportation but simply refer to it as a “population transfer.”

Doctor of History, Nikolai Bugay, a chief researcher at the Institute of Russian History of the Russian Academy of Sciences, claims that the expulsion of Azerbaijanis from Armenia between 1948 and 1953 was not a deportation but merely an internal relocation or forced resettlement.

“If during the relocation the state border is crossed, then it can be called deportation. If there is no border factor, it is relocation or forced resettlement. The relocation of Azerbaijanis from Armenia took place based on a request by the republic’s leadership to the central government to develop cotton production in Azerbaijan. According to the documents, this is a relocation. If Azerbaijanis were forcibly removed from their places of residence, then this is forced resettlement,” Bugay emphasized.

One might wonder: is it possible that Nikolai Bugay, a historian and recognized expert on the deportations of the peoples of Russia and the USSR, does not know that the main reason for the deportation of Azerbaijanis from Armenian territory was Moscow’s intention to settle Armenians from abroad in those areas? Of course he knows—but he does not want to admit it.

"Today, with the small number of archive materials and documents we have, we have the right to directly call the process of removing Azerbaijanis from their ancestral lands under the name of 'resettlement' from the Armenian SSR to the Azerbaijani SSR in 1948-50, a deportation. In its true sense, it is deportation. There is no other name for it. Because we have a very large report from 3 May 1948 by the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Armenian SSR, Horen Grigoryan. When we read this reports we see that there was significant resistance among the people to this resettlement. Of course, most Russian historians absolutely do not want to call this a deportation. The reason for this is that, if it is called a deportation, that Russian historian, to a certain extent, assumes responsibility. Russian historians do not want to take that responsibility; they do not want a share in that crime. This is the issue," explains Azerbaijani historian Eldar Abbasov regarding why Russian historians do not acknowledge the fact of deportation.

The confession of a Russian historian living in Yekaterinburg: The Forgotten Deportation

Only in the article "The Forgotten Deportation: The Forced Resettlement of Ethnic Azerbaijanis from the Armenian SSR in 1948-1953" by Sergei V. Moshkin, doctor of historical sciences and employee at the Institute of Philosophy and Law, Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences published in 2020 in the journal "Historical Courier", the historical truth was partially reflected. The Russian author writes that Moscow forcibly displaced ethnic Azerbaijanis from their ancestral lands in order to settle Armenians from abroad in the territory of Armenia and that modern Russian historical science has overlooked this fact, and the well-known event has been forgotten.

Despite several attempts to discuss the article written by Moshkin and the deportation of Azerbaijanis, the historian refused to give an interview. His excuse was, "I do not give interviews to foreign journalists." However, he should still be thanked for writing the truth and shedding light on the aspects that modern Russian historical science has deliberately overlooked.

P.S. We have obtained a valuable historical document from the State Archive of the Russian Federation, which is an order from the USSR Council of Ministers, dated December 23, 1947, No. 4083, signed by Stalin, regarding the deportation of Azerbaijanis from the Armenian SSR. Article 11 of this order clearly states that Armenians coming from abroad should be settled in the areas and homes vacated by Azerbaijanis. Thus, Article 11 of this decision reveals the true purpose of the deportation of Azerbaijanis from Armenia. According to the information we obtained, the access to this document in the Russian archives is currently restricted for researchers.