Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan spoke at today's press conference about the consideration of the issue of the return of Azerbaijanis expelled from Armenia within the framework of the Brussels peace process.
On the issue of human rights, the Prime Minister of Armenia has demonstrated an approach based on ethnic discrimination. He also made a statement indirectly infringing upon the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.
Prime Minister Pashinyan claimed that the issue of the rights of Azerbaijanis expelled from Armenia cannot be compared with the issue of the rights of Armenians living in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan.
First of all, let us stress that it is the duty of the Armenian government to ensure the right of return of Azerbaijanis expelled from Armenia. Armenia’s prattle on the rights of Armenians who live in Azerbaijan, while having expelled all Azerbaijanis from its territory, it is the greatest hypocrisy and reveals a thinly veiled territorial claim.
As Azerbaijan is ready to communicate with the Armenians living in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, and to ensure their rights, the Government of Armenia should start a dialogue with the Western Azerbaijan Community, and ensure our right to return, and our rights and security after the return.
Prime Minister Pashinyan's differentiation between the Azerbaijanis expelled from Armenia and the Armenians living in Azerbaijan is dangerous, and represents an unlawful and approach in the matter of human rights. It is known to everyone that the only difference here is that Azerbaijanis are deprived of their right to live in their own homes, which brings any no honor to Armenia. The fact that the Prime Minister of Armenia refers to the consequences of crimes against humanity, such as ethnic cleansing committed by his country, as a valid argument, proves his insincerity on the matter of human rights and democracy, continuing the policy of mono-ethnicity.
The Western Azerbaijan Community strongly condemns this approach of Prime Minister Pashinyan and demands that he unconditionally respect human rights, which are absolute values, and enable the safe and dignified return of Azerbaijanis expelled from Armenia.