As is the case with all other legal violations committed against the Azerbaijanis, the Armenian government is also responsible for eliminating the consequences of violation of property rights. Armenia should ensure the return of property and community lands belonging to Azerbaijanis, pay compensation for the damage caused to property and for the losses resulting from the impossibility to use it. It should also pay all the costs arising from the restoration of property rights of Azerbaijanis and take other necessary measures. We must emphasize that financial compensation is required only for the damage caused to the property and for the prevention of the right to use it. Financial compensation cannot replace or eliminate the right to return to and live in the native land.
These views were expressed by Ulviyya Zulfikar, the spokesperson for the Western Azerbaijan Community (WAC).
She said: “Regarding the restoration and protection of Azerbaijan’s cultural heritage in the territory of the present-day Armenia, let me note that this is an important condition for peace and reconciliation. In this regard, first of all, we will try to assess the state of cultural heritage belonging to the Azerbaijanis in the territory of Armenia with the participation of specialized UN agencies. A list of cultural heritage sites that have been damaged and erased from the face of the earth should be prepared and the Armenian government should fulfill its obligation to restore and protect them.”
Ulviyya Zulfikar added that all Azerbaijanis expelled from the territory of Armenia and their descendants have the right to return to their homeland. WAC is currently doing a census of community members using the services of the population register of the Republic of Azerbaijan and relevant international methodology.
“In the future, we will make effort to make a list of Western Azerbaijanis settled in other states,” the spokesperson for the Western Azerbaijan Community said.