Azerbaijan Unveils ‘Return of Refugees to Armenia’ Program: Expert Warns of Potential Threats

Azerbaijan's "Western Azerbaijan Community," as described by its propaganda apparatus, has announced a "program for the return of former residents of Western Azerbaijan to Armenia." This program pertains not only to the so-called enclaves that Azerbaijan is demanding from Armenia but also to Syunik, Yerevan, and other regions of our republic.

Auroranews.am reached out to Azerbaijani studies expert Garnik Davtyan. The expert noted that Azerbaijanis are compiling a list of "descendants of Azerbaijanis who left the territories of the Republic of Armenia in the 1990s."

"Their goal is to bring these individuals, whom they refer to as refugees, to the territories of Armenia under the pretext of signing a peace agreement, 'resettling them in the regions and in Yerevan.' The number of Azerbaijanis that Azerbaijan wants to resettle in the territories of Armenia is not small. I am conditionally saying this number could be 400 or 500 thousand," Davtyan stated, emphasizing that Azerbaijan is seriously pursuing this farce.

The expert points out that they are clinging to the 7th point of the November 9 agreement, which states that internally displaced persons and refugees are to return to the territories of Nagorno-Karabakh and adjacent areas under the supervision of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, thereby trying to create a legitimate ground to implement all this. They hope that by signing the agreement, they can raise the issue of these people coming to Armenia.

"There is also a danger that with the arrival and settlement of Azerbaijani 'refugees' in Armenia, Azerbaijan could establish intelligence networks or terrorist groups here. I mentioned these points, but the threats are numerous," added the Azerbaijani studies expert.