MP: Western Azerbaijanis should become national matter for Türkiye

Like the Karabakh issue, Western Azerbaijanis should become a national matter for Türkiye, Derya Yanik, Chair of the Human Rights Research Commission of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, said in a statement to Report.

Participating in the international conference on "Return to Western Azerbaijan as an Essential Condition for the Supremacy of Human Rights" held in Ankara on May 21, Derya Yanık said as a lawyer, MP and scientist, that holding such an event is of great importance:

"The existence of a strong Türkiye is a guarantee for a strong Azerbaijan. Likewise, the existence of a strong Azerbaijan is a guarantee for Türkiye. Just as the Karabakh issue has become a national matter for Türkiye as well as for Azerbaijan, we must turn Western Azerbaijanis into our national matter and unite our forces in this direction."

The commission chair believes that bringing the return of Western Azerbaijanis to their homeland to the agenda of international organizations, as two allied states, will have a positive impact on the process:

"One of the basic principles of international law is that people have the right to return to their homeland. This principle is undeniable under no circumstances. The violation of the rights of Western Azerbaijanis has a history of nearly two centuries. It is very important to bring this topic to the agenda again. By regularly raising this issue, the problem can be brought to the attention of the world community more quickly. I am sure that these activities will continue."