Statements
01 September 2023, 11:37
“On September 1, 2023, four Azerbaijani servicemen were injured when the Armed Forces of Armenia shelled positions of the Azerbaijani army in the Kalbajar district, from the direction of Zod village of the Goycha Mahal (district).
The Western Azerbaijan Community vehemently condemns this provocation by Armenia and calls upon the Armenian government to immediately cease these hostile actions,” said the Community as it made an appeal to the international community.
“The fact that Armenia carries out this reprehensible provocation from the Goycha district adds a layer of painful sensitivity for the Western Azerbaijan Community. The Goycha district, including Zod village, was an area where Azerbaijanis used to live compactly. The Armenian government, like other regions in Armenia, subjected the Azerbaijani population of Goycha district to ethnic cleansing, destroying their mosques, cemeteries, and cultural monuments. The Zod Pass, where Armenia is currently conducting these attacks, is the very place where a substantial number of Azerbaijani civilians perished while fleeing Armenia's persecution and violence during the harsh winter months.
Despite numerous calls from our Community for peace and reconciliation, the Armenian government refuses to permit Azerbaijanis to return to their homeland.
The Western Azerbaijan Community urges the international community to exert pressure on Armenia to halt its military provocations and enable the ethnically cleansed Azerbaijanis to return peacefully to their homes in safety and with dignity,” the Community added.
