Western Azerbaijan Community Condemns PACE’s Recent Resolution with Fierce Opposition
Western Azerbaijan Community Condemns PACE Resolution 2508
Baku, June 29 – The Western Azerbaijan Community, which represents Azerbaijanis expelled from Armenia, strongly condemns the recent adoption of Resolution No 2508 (2023) by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). The community argues that this resolution once again reveals PACE’s biased and uninformed approach, which directly undermines the very essence of human rights, according to AZERTAC.
The community asserts that PACE’s attempt to preach humanity while baselessly claiming an imaginary scenario of emigration of ethnic Armenians from the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan is both defamatory and outrageous. Unlike the forcibly expelled ethnic Azerbaijanis from regions like Goycha, Zangezur, and Daralayaz in Armenia, ethnic Armenians in Karabakh have been fortunate enough to live in Azerbaijan. It is deeply concerning that PACE, an institution entrusted with defending human rights, has conveniently turned a blind eye to Armenia’s expulsion of all Azerbaijanis from its territory, effectively creating a mono-ethnic country.
The community highlights that PACE, which has ignored numerous appeals from Azerbaijanis expelled from Armenia seeking support for their right to return, is now taking a position allegedly to defend the rights of ethnic Armenians from non-existent threats. In reality, by adopting this resolution, PACE is defending Armenia’s territorial claims against Azerbaijan. If PACE genuinely cared about human rights, it would have supported the right of Azerbaijanis to return and consistently condemned Armenia’s widespread ethnic cleansing of over a million Azerbaijanis, as well as its refusal to allow them to return to their homeland.
The community finds PACE’s reference to alleged hate speech in Azerbaijan ludicrous when considering the systematic hatred preached by Armenia against Azerbaijanis. One recent example of this is the erection of a monument called “Nemesis” in Yerevan, which glorifies anti-Azerbaijani and anti-Turkish violent terrorism. Additionally, at an international sports event held two months ago in Yerevan, the flag of Azerbaijan was burned, an act of hatred that took place in the presence of the Prime Minister himself, which is deeply concerning.
The community is troubled by PACE’s disregard for the systematic destruction of cultural heritage belonging to Azerbaijanis. By overlooking this issue, the authors of the resolution have demonstrated a lack of concern for the preservation of cultural diversity and human rights regardless of ethnic origin.
The resolution not only showcases PACE’s anti-Azerbaijani bias but also suggests that once a population group is expelled, the international community no longer cares about their fate. Such an approach is dangerous and undermines the principles of justice and human rights.
Moreover, instead of discussing questionable missions into Azerbaijan, PACE should facilitate sending international missions to Armenia to ensure the safe and dignified return of Azerbaijanis, as well as protecting their rights, property, and cultural heritage. PACE should also prioritize monitoring Armenia’s compliance with its obligations under relevant conventions pertaining to the rights of expelled Azerbaijanis. The letter sent by the community to the PACE Monitoring Committee on this matter remains unanswered to this day.
Finally, the community expresses deep disappointment with PACE’s generous offer to provide tools and programs to benefit separatists. The Western Azerbaijan Community, unlike violent secessionists, upholds the principles of international law, including respect for territorial integrity. It appears that PACE rewards those who engage in violence while punishing those who adhere to the rule of law.
The community believes that this resolution is nothing more than a shameful attempt to exploit the noble idea of human rights to support Armenia’s military aggression and crimes against humanity. It will forever be seen as a stain in the history of the Council of Europe.
The community urges PACE to rectify its misguided approach and uphold the principles of justice, fairness, and human rights for all, regardless of their ethnicity and religion. They call upon the Assembly to denounce its Azerbaijanophobic stance, which undermines human rights, and to respond to their calls for the safe and dignified return of Azerbaijanis expelled from Armenia.
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