SUMGAYIT

Азербайджанский стол представляет собой красочное разнообразие блюд и ингредиентов. Как передает Report, об этом говорится в статье известного издания National Geographic, повествующей о 7 кулинарных изысках различных регионов Азербайджана. В статье отмечается, что девять климатических зон страны дарят ее жителям изобилие свежих продуктов, в том числе персиков, гранатов, яблок, инжира, шафрана и сладкого перца. В то время как овцы и крупный рогатый скот, выращиваемые на обширных пастбищах, дают мясо и молочные продукты, разнообразные свежие морепродукты добываются из Каспийского моря. "Плов с шафраном, король азербайджанской кухни, всегда в центре внимания, он подается с кебабом на гриле, мясом на шампурах, долмой и холодными салатами. И часто сопровождается бокалом азербайджанского шербета - освежающим безалкогольным напитком, приготовленным из лимона, сахара, шафрана и свежих фруктов. Блюда традиционно сопровождаются черным чаем, который подают в стаканах армуду в форме бутонов, которые местные жители пьют с ломтиком лимона",- говорится в статье.. В качестве блюда, представляющего столицу Азербайджана - Баку, издание выбрало дюшпере: "Придание формы крошечным дюшпере — это искусство, на совершенствование которого может уйти целая жизнь, а правила требуют, чтобы в столовой ложке их умещалась целая дюжина". Еще одним блюдом, которое отметило издание National Geographic, стало блюдо из южного региона Азербайджана- лявянги: "Это блюдо обычно готовят к Новрузу, самому важному национальному празднику Азербайджана, знаменующему начало весны",- говорится в статье. "Пити получил свое название от глазурованного глиняного горшка, в котором его готовят и подают. Слоу-фуд в лучшем виде, его традиционно варят на медленном огне не менее девяти часов. Основными ингредиентами являются баранина, нут, картофель и помидоры, а мягкий вкус достигается за счет насыщенного шафраном бульона и сушеной алычи. Не очень секретный ингредиент — это кусок соленого жира, который вытапливают, чтобы придать супу богатую текстуру",- такое описание получил известный шекинский пити. Нахчыванский регион отмечен блюдом под названием "говурма", в котором по словам автора, "крупные куски телятины или баранины нанизывают и сушат в течение суток, солят, тушат, затем обжаривают в масле. Затем мясо перекладывают в керамические банки и покрывают растопленным сливочным маслом или бараньим жиром. Через четыре-восемь недель он готов к употреблению". В статье отмечается, что "нахчыванская традиция консервирования мяса восходит как минимум к 15 веку и упоминается в эпосе Деде Коркут". Блюдо из Гахского района Азербайджана под названием "сурхуллу" тоже попало в список кулинарных шедевров. Оно описывается как белковое блюдо, которое состоит из свежего ягненка или вяленого мяса и подается на подушке из «макарон», приготовленных путем ручного раскатывания теста по деревянной доске. Именно этот процесс дал название блюду сурхуллу, что означает «натертый». Далее располагается одно из самых главных блюд национальной кухни- Шах-Плов из Гянджи. "Второй по величине город Азербайджана, Гянджа, делает еще один шаг вперед: в фирменной версии плова, рис заворачивается в кокон из лепешки, которая превращается в хрустящую оболочку, называемую газмах",- написано в статье. Седьмым, но немаловажным, блюдом азербайджанской национальной кухни, названа карабахская кятя," с тонким слоем сахара, масла и мучной крошки, иногда с легким ароматом ванили или лимонной цедры. "Карабахская ката представлена в виде большого диска, смазанного яйцом и запеченного до цвета золотистого сиропа", отмечает National Geographic.

Ermənistanla Azərbaycan arasında uzunmüddətli sülhün bərqərar olması nəinki mümkün, həm də realdır. Axar.az xəbər verir ki, bu sözləri Ermənistan Baş nazir Nikol Paşinyan “İrəvan dialoqu” ikinci beynəlxalq forumu zamanı deyib. Onun sözlərinə görə, Ermənistan hökuməti sülh gündəmini həyata keçirməkdə qərarlıdır: “Biz bu yola tam sadiqik və bütün regionda vəziyyəti dəyişdirəcək və xalqlarımızın gələcəyinə təsir edəcək sülh müqaviləsi və onu müşayiət edən sənədlərin imzalanması məqsədi ilə Azərbaycanla danışıqları davam etdirməyə hazırıq”. Paşinyan vurğulayıb ki, Ermənistan sülhün lehinə addımlar atmağa hazırdır. O, hətta mümkün təxribatlar qarşısında belə iki ölkə arasında yeni müharibənin olmayacağına əminliyini ifadə edib: “Bizim yolumuz sülhdür. Ermənistanın məqsədi qonşuları ilə qarşılıqlı hörmət və əməkdaşlığa əsaslanan sabit və aydın münasibətlər qurmaqdır”

Son günlərdə Ermənistan seqmentinə aid media qurumları Rusiya vətəndaşı Zahirəddin İbrahimovun DTX-nin əməliyyat tədbirləri ilə ələ keçirilərək Bakıya aparıldığını yayımlayır. Axar.az xəbər verir ki, Azərbaycandakı etnik azlıqların hüquqlarının müdafiəsi komitəsinin sədri kimi təqdim edilən Zahirəddin İbrahimov Yekaterinburq şəhərində yaşayıb, illər ərzində Ermənistanın paytaxtında təşkil edilən saxta tədbirlərdə Azərbaycan əleyhinə çıxışlar edib. O, 2005-2020-ci illərdə Ermənistanda keçirilmiş qondarma konfranslarda Azərbaycan Respublikasının əleyhinə saxta ittihamlar səsləndirib qərəzli bəyanatlar verib, Azərbaycanda separatizmi alovlandırmaq məqsədilə Ermənistanın müvafiq strukturlarının tapşırıqlarını yerinə yetirib. Bir müddət əvvəl məsələ ilə bağlı mətbuata açıqlama vermiş vəkil Səyyarə Əliyeva müvəkkili olduğu Z.İbrahimovun həqiqətən DTX-nin istintaq təcridxanasına yerləşdirildiyini təsdiq edib. Bildirib ki, Z.İbrahimov dindirilərkən Ermənistanla əlaqələrini və digər məsələləri etiraf edib. Rusiya vətəndaşı olan Zahirəddin İbrahimovun ələ keçirilərək Azərbaycana gətirildiyi xüsusi əməliyyat tədbirlərinin detalları hələ ki ictimaiyyətə açıqlanmayıb. Lakin onun da Ruben Vardanyan və Araik Arutyunyan kimilərlə yanaşı DTX-nin istintaq təcridxanasında saxlanıldığı, Azərbaycanın ərazi bütövlüyü əleyhinə yönəlmiş cinayətlərə görə digərləri kimi cavab verəcəyi artıq məlumdur. “Konstitusiya və Suverenlik İli” elan edilmiş 2025-ci ildə uzun müddət ərzində düşmən dövlətin separatizm təbliğatının əsas aləti olmuş Zahirəddin İbrahimovun ələ keçirilərək ölkəyə gətirilməsi dövlətimizin konstitusiya quruluşu və ərazi suverenliyi əleyhinə iş aparmağa cürət edən hər kəsə aydın bir mesajdır. Məsələ ilə bağlı DTX-nin Mətbuat xidmətinə sorğu ünvanlanıb. Mövzunu diqqətdə saxlayacağıq.

Mayın 27-də bütün müavinət, təqaüd, kompensasiya və ünvanlı dövlət sosial yardımlarının ödənilməsi nəzərdə tutulub. Axar.az xəbər verir ki, bu barədə Dövlət Sosial Müdafiə Fondu məlumat yayıb.

Bakı Hərbi Məhkəməsində davam etdirilən məhkəmə prosesində Ermənistan silahlı qüvvələrinin Birinci Qarabağ müharibəsi zamanı Azərbaycanın suveren ərazilərini işğal etdikdən sonra yaşayış məntəqələrində talançılıq aparılması təsdiqlənib. Axar.az xəbər verir ki, təqsirləndirilən şəxs Melikset Paşayan Bakı şəhərinin rayon məhkəmələrində dövlət ittihamının müdafiəsi üzrə şöbənin prokuroru Təranə Məmmədovanın sualarını cavablandırarkən “Əsgəran rayonu”nun 31-ci taborunun tərkibində xidmət etdiyini bildirib. O, taborun tərkibində 1993-1994-cü illərdə Ağdam rayonunun Suma, Sarıcalı, Güllücə kəndləri istiqamətində postlarda dayandığını deyib. “Bu, atıcı taboru idi. Taborda qumbaratanlar, minaatanlar, pulemyotlar, avtomatlar, qumbaralar var idi”, - deyə Melikset Paşayan suallara cavabında söyləyib. O, Azərbaycanın torpaqları işğal olunandan sonra orada talançılıqla məşğul olub-olmaması ilə bağlı suala isə belə cavab verib: “Mən talanlarda iştirak etməmişəm. Postda növbə bitib qurtarana qədər talan etməyə heç nə qalmırdı”. Təqsirləndirilən şəxs iddia edib ki, talanda iştirak edənlər mülki ermənilər olub. M.Paşayan deyib ki, hərbçilər talana gedən mülki şəxslərə əraziyə girməməklə bağlı xəbərdarlıq edirdilər: “Deyirdilər ki, ora getməyin, sizə güllə, mərmi dəyər”. O, hərbçilərin mülki şəxsləri bu talandan çəkindirməsinin səbəbinin onları fiziki baxımdan qorumaq olduğunu da əlavə edib. M.Paşayan Birinci Qarabağ müharibəsində iştiraka görə qondarma rejimin “İgidliyə görə” “medal”ı ilə təltif olunduğunu da bildirib və deyib: “Dəqiq xatırlamıram, ya Bako Sahakyanın, ya da Arayik Arutyunyanın dövründə idi”. Qeyd edək ki, Ermənistanın hərbi təcavüzü nəticəsində sülh və insanlıq əleyhinə cinayətlər, müharibə cinayətləri, o cümlədən təcavüzkar müharibənin hazırlanması və aparılması, soyqırımı, müharibə qanunlarını və qaydalarını pozma, habelə terrorçuluq, terrorçuluğu maliyyələşdirmə, hakimiyyəti zorla ələ keçirmə, onu zorla saxlama və digər çoxsaylı cinayətlər törətməkdə təqsirləndirilən Ermənistan Respublikasının vətəndaşlarının məhkəməsi davam etdirilir.

Heç bir məsələ zorla həll edilə bilməz, heç bir Zəngəzur dəhlizi olmayacaq. Axar.az xəbər verir ki, bu sözləri mayın 22-də İranın Ermənistandakı fövqəladə və səlahiyyətli səfiri Mehdi Sübhani Azərbaycanın Zəngəzur dəhlizini güc yolu ilə açmağa cəhd edəcəyi təqdirdə İranın nə etmək niyyətində olduğu sualına cavab verərkən deyib.

ABŞ-dan Ziya Məmmədovla bağlı vacib qərar ABŞ Ədliyyə Nazirliyi Kanadanın “Bombardier” şirkəti ilə bağlı aparılan korrupsiya istintaqını dayandırıb. Sözügedən araşdırma çərçivəsində Azərbaycanın keçmiş nəqliyyat naziri Ziya Məmmədov və onun müavini, “Azərbaycan Dəmir Yolları” QSC-nin sabiq rəhbəri Arif Əsgərovun adları hallanırdı. Axar.az Haqqin.az-a istinadən xəbər verir ki, “Bombardier” şirkəti 1 aprel tarixində ABŞ Ədliyyə Nazirliyindən rəsmi məktub alaraq, istintaqın bağlandığını təsdiqləyib. Kanada şirkətinin maliyyə hesabatında qeyd olunur ki, İndoneziya və Azərbaycan dəmir yolları ilə bağlı müqavilələrlə əlaqəli iki istintaq toplanmış məlumatlar əsasında yekunlaşdırılıb. ABŞ Ədliyyə Nazirliyi məsələ ilə bağlı əlavə şərh verməkdən imtina edib. "Bombardier" şirkəti də açıqlama yaymayıb. Qeyd edək ki, 2020-ci ildə Azərbaycanla, 2021-ci ildə isə İndoneziyanın “Garuda Airlines” şirkəti ilə bağlanmış müqavilələr üzrə istintaq başladılmışdı. Bu çərçivədə Azərbaycanın Nəqliyyat Nazirliyi ilə "Bombardier" arasında 2013-cü ildə imzalanmış 350 milyon dollarlıq müqavilə də araşdırılmışdı. Müqavilə Bakı–Qazax–Böyük Kəsik dəmir yolu xətti üçün siqnal avadanlıqlarının alınmasını nəzərdə tuturdu. İstintaq zamanı məlum olub ki, təxminən 100 milyon dollar vəsait yüksək vəzifəli məmurlara rüşvət kimi ödənilib. Rüşvətlərin ötürülməsi üçün ofşor vasitəçi – Multiserv Overseas Ltd şirkətindən istifadə olunub. Bu şirkət Rusiyanın sabiq dəmiryolu rəhbəri Vladimir Yakunin tərəfindən təsis edilib və müxtəlif ölkələrdə Bombardier layihələrinə vasitəçilik edib. Sənədlərdə göstərilir ki, 46 ədəd siqnal qurğusu Azərbaycana göndərilib, lakin ödənişlər heç bir ünvanı və fəaliyyəti olmayan London mənşəli şirkət vasitəsilə həyata keçirilib. Avadanlıqlar real qiymətindən 5,5 dəfə baha qiymətə satılıb. İsveçdə bu işlə bağlı cinayət işi başlanıb və "Bombardier"in vitse-prezidenti Tomas Bimer məhkəməyə verilib. 2021-ci ilin dekabrında Stokholm məhkəməsi onu bəraət qazandıraraq, korrupsiya sxemindən xəbərsiz olduğuna qərar verib. Xatırladaq ki, bu iş üzrə Dünya Bankı tərəfindən başlanan araşdırma hələ də davam edir. Eyni zamanda Kanadanın hüquq-mühafizə orqanları Bombardier-in İndoneziya ilə imzaladığı təyyarə satışı müqaviləsi üzrə yoxlamaları davam etdirir. Maraqlıdır ki, 2021-ci ildə ABŞ Prezidenti Donald Tramp tərəfindən ölkənin əsas antikorrupsiya qanunu – Xaricdə Korrupsiya ilə Mübarizə Aktının (FCPA) tətbiqinin dayandırılması barədə sərəncam imzalanmışdı. Hazırkı qərarın həmin sərəncamla əlaqəli olub-olmadığı isə rəsmi şəkildə təsdiqlənməyib.

Всегда!

İrəvan qazısının fəaliyyəti bərpa olunub, yeni qazı təyin edilib Qafqaz Müsəlmanları İdarəsinin Qazılar Şurasının İrəvan qazısı vəzifəsinə Bəxtiyar Nəcəfovun namizədliyi irəli sürülüb. APA xəbər verir ki, bunu Qafqaz Müsəlmanları İdarəsinin sədri şeyxülislam Allahşükür Paşazadə QMİ-nin Qazılar Şurasının iclasında deyib. Sonra Bəxtiyar Nəcəfovun İrəvan qazısı təyin olunması səsə qoyularaq qəbul edilib. Daha sonra İrəvan Qazısının Əsasnaməsi təsdiqlənib. Qafqaz Müsəlmanları İdarəsinin sədr müavini Fuad Nurullayev QMİ-nin Qazılar Şurasının iclasında Əsasnməni səsləndirib. Qeyd edilib ki, İrəvan qazılığı hələ ki, QMİ-nin binasında yerləşəcək. Allahşükür Paşazadə bildirib ki, İrəvan qazısı olaraq, Azərbaycanın ən mötəbər adamları təyin edilib: "İrəvan quberniyasında 300-dən artıq məscid, onlarla mədrəsə olub. İrəvan qazısı olaraq, Azərbaycanın ən mötəbər adamları təyin edilib. Ermənistanın Azərbaycan torpaqlarını işğal etdiyi dövrdə islam sivilizasiyası yerlə bir edilib. Bu işğal QMİ-nin İrəvan qazılığına da təsirsiz ötüşməyib. Prezident İlham Əliyevin rəhbərliyi ilə Ordumuz torpaqlarımızı işğaldan azad edib, o ərazilər indi bərpa edilir, yenidənqurma işləri aparılır. Bütün bunlar İrəvan Qazılığının da işinin yenidən qurulmasını labüd etdi”. *** 11:15 Qafqaz Müsəlmanları İdarəsinin Qazılar Şurasının İrəvan qazısının fəaliyyətinin bərpa olunması ilə bağlı iclas keçirilir. APA xəbər verir ki, iclasda QMİ sədri Şeyxülislam Allahşükür Paşazadə, Qazılar Şurasının üzvləri, Dini Qurumlarla İş üzrə Dövlət Komitəsinin nümayəndələri və deputatlar iştirak edirlər. İclas Azərbaycan Respublikasının Dövlət himninin səslənməsi ilə açıq elan olunub. *** 10:33 Qafqaz Müsəlmanları İdarəsinin Qazılar Şurasının İrəvan qazısının fəaliyyəti bərpa olunur. APA xəbər verir ki, bununla bağlı bu gün QMİ-də iclas keçiriləcək.

Британское издание на службе у армян, или Как сын Варданяна оговорился по Фрейду Не секрет, что после 44-дневной войны, а затем полного восстановления территориальной целостности в сентябре 2023 года, Азербайджан, который и ранее был ключевым геополитическим игроком в регионе, еще более укрепил свои позиции на Южном Кавказе. Важнейшую роль в Баку, как в политико-экономическом, так и транспортно-логистическом плане в регионе, не оспаривают даже наши недоброжелатели. Сегодня масштабы значимости Азербайджана выходят за периферийные рамки, что позволяет Баку говорить с основными силовыми центрами на равных. Естественно, впечатляющие результаты Азербайджана вызывают определенную ревность со стороны ведущих политических акторов, и, в первую очередь, это касается Франции, которая в открытую демонстрирует свою неприязнь к нашей стране. Предвзятую, проармянскую позицию Парижа мы видели до, в ходе и после 44-дневной войны. Попытки оказать давление на Баку приняли интенсивный характер после уничтожения на корню карабахской военной хунты. Все мы помним череду резолюций, заявлений и выступлений отдельных политиков — вплоть до президента Франции Эмманюэля Макрона — откровенно антиазербайджанского характера. Однако Баку не только не дрогнул под этим давлением, но и выработал своего рода иммунитет к подобным инсинуациям. Этот стойкий подход позволил Азербайджану, несмотря ни на что, продолжить конструктивное развитие отношений с множеством стран в самых разных сферах. В продолжающейся до сих пор антиазербайджанской кампании немаловажную роль играют так называемые «независимые» зарубежные СМИ, которые, как выясняется, весьма зависимы — главным образом от щедрых подачек армянского лобби. К сожалению, некоторые западные медиа — будь то американские, французские, немецкие или британские — поддались искушению и поставили финансовую выгоду выше журналистской этики и собственной репутации. Спонсорская «помощь» армянских толстосумов творит чудеса: стоит речь зайти о карабахской тематике — и горе-журналисты начинают с усердием сочинять невероятные «факты» о якобы зверствах азербайджанцев в отношении армян. К пестрой толпе иностранных «расследователей», стоящих в очереди за костью из рук армянского лобби, присоединился и сотрудник британского издания GB News. На страницах издания появилась статья с громким, но пустым по содержанию заголовком: «Христианин бьет тревогу: в условиях «незаконного» ареста отца и «этнической чистки» никто из нас не в безопасности». Материал с претензией на сенсацию на деле оказался типичным образчиком манипулятивной публицистики, где вымысел и эмоциональное давление подменяют факты и проверенные источники. Приведем некоторые отрывки из этого пасквиля. «Адвокаты, занимающиеся защитой прав человека, сообщили GB News, что во время ареста Рубену Варданяну запретили пользоваться Библией. Сын армянского мецената, находящегося под стражей в соседнем Азербайджане, заявил, что никто из нас не находится в безопасности, отметив, что его отец стал жертвой этнической чистки», - пишет автор статьи. Этого одного абзаца достаточно, чтобы понять, откуда растут ноги. Давид Варданян — сын Рубена — не жалеет отцовских миллиардов, добытых преступным путем, лишь бы попытаться «отбелить» образ военного преступника, на котором негде ставить клеймо. О какой объективности может идти речь, если речь идет о сыне, который никогда не пойдет против отца? Далее Давид критикует международные СМИ за то, что они «закрывают глаза» на случаи, подобные тому, который произошел с его отцом. Он говорит: «Мы узнали о его аресте из соцсетей, 27 сентября 2023 года, что было очень целенаправленным шагом со стороны правительства Азербайджана, чтобы показать каждому армянину-христианину, что никто из нас не находится в безопасности». По словам Давида, несмотря на арест, его отец продолжает проявлять стойкость. «Он несколько раз отмечал, что не хочет жаловаться на условия содержания, так как это отвлечет внимание от незаконности всего этого процесса. Нам удается провести с ним телефонные разговоры максимум один-два раза в неделю на одну-две минуты, но не регулярно» - продолжает он. Даже из заголовка видно, что автор статьи с подачи Давида намеренно пытается перевести военные преступления Рубена Варданяна на «христианские рельсы». И если раньше акцент делался на этнической принадлежности Варданяна и других военных преступников, оказавшихся на скамье подсудимых в Баку, то сегодня лишенные нравственно-моральных принципов люди пытаются придать судебному процессу религиозный оттенок. Тему «христианской нетерпимости» с удовольствием подхватывает адвокат Джаред Генсер, для которого важно не столько правосудие и торжество справедливости, сколько защита Варданяна любыми средствами и методами. По словам адвоката, Рубена лишили возможности пользоваться Библией. «Это противоречит выдвинутому Азербайджаном тезису о том, что этот конфликт не имеет отношения к факту их христианской принадлежности, и что он связан с незаконным завоеванием территорий», - сказал он. Однако в статье содержится грубая фактическая ошибка, которая полностью опровергает утверждения Давида Варданяна — и, что примечательно, допустил ее он сам. Как говорится, оговорка по Фрейду. Варданян-младший сам подтверждает, что Рубену один-два раза в неделю разрешают разговаривать по телефону с семьей. Более того, ему было позволено передать два пространных аудиообращения. Возникает закономерный вопрос: если Рубену предоставляли возможность обращаться к публике с «воззваниями», то в чем тогда заключается «крамола» в чтении Библии? Это ведь не «Майн Кампф» и не мемуары Гарегина Нжде. Где же здесь элементарная логика? Ответ очевиден: адвокат Генсер и сын Варданяна пытаются в самом примитивном ключе сыграть на религиозных чувствах, чтобы настроить христианский мир против Азербайджана. Однако все эти попытки — не более чем «мартышкин труд». Отношение Азербайджана к религиозным конфессиям известно во всем мире, и откровенная ложь этих лиц, равно как и автора статьи, не способна ввести в заблуждение здравомыслящую аудиторию. А чтобы в этом никто не сомневался, напомним: 15 января текущего года президент Азербайджана Ильхам Алиев подписал распоряжение о финансовой поддержке религиозных организаций, включая общины всех ведущих конфессий страны. Согласно документу, средства из резервного фонда государственного бюджета Азербайджана на 2025 год были направлены на финансовую поддержку религиозных учреждений. Помощь получили не только Управление мусульман Кавказа, но и Бакинская и Азербайджанская епархия Русской Православной Церкви. Финансирование было также выделено религиозной общине горских евреев города Баку, религиозной общине европейских евреев, общине евреев-сефардов, Апостольской префектуре Католической церкви в Азербайджане, а также Албано-удинской христианской религиозной общине. Комментарии, как говорится, излишни.

Deportation of Azerbaijanis from Western Azerbaijan The deportation of Azerbaijanis from Armenia represents one of the most tragic consequences of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict. We can isolate 3 main phases in this massive 20th-century deportation. Main stages of the mass deportation of Azerbaijanis from Armenia. – 1918–1920 – 1948–1953 – 1987–1991 1918–1920 It was the very notorious plan to create the mythical “Greater Armenia” that prompted genocide and expulsion of Azerbaijani population from Armenia between 1918 and 1920. Striving for land gains and artificial expansion of ethnic territory, combined with the idea of cultural supremacy and special rights to habitats, were dominant at that time in the Armenian society. Armenian chauvinists believed the “Greater Armenia” could be founded not on the free will of the population majority but rather ‘instilled’ by force, build by steel and blood on the ruins and dead bodies of “outlanders”, with Muslims (Azerbaijanis) wiped out from these lands. This cunning plan to establish a Lebensraum for the “Greater Armenia”, first in the realms of the Ottoman Empire and then, during 1918–1920, in the South Caucasus, was from its very onset destined to culminate in a violent standoff and genocide of Muslim (Azerbaijani) community. The tragic events in Irevan Governorate uyezds (districts) that later on (in May 1918) would be included into the first-time Armenian state in the South Caucasus almost coincided with those in the east of the Northern Azerbaijan, in Baku Governorate, where Bolshevik and Dashnak militants of the Baku Council committed genocide of Azerbaijani population in spring 1918. Armenian militants were armed to the teeth and had a vast experience of wiping out the local Turkic population in the Eastern Anatolia. They learned it during the World War I, when, falling back from the Caucasian Front lines together with the Russian army early in 1918, they decimated Azerbaijanis throughout the Irevan Governorate. To have a full picture of violence against the Azerbaijani community, one may review the “List of Razed And Abandoned Muslim (Azerbaijani) Villages in Irevan Governorate as of March 1918”. This list includes 199 villages in Irevan, Surmalin, Echmiadzin, and Novobayazet uyezds (districts) of the Irevan Governorate, which were razed to the ground by Armenian militants and abandoned by their Muslim population. In doing so, the former stopped at nothing: decimation of civilians, massacres, atrocities, intimidation, spread of panic — anything would do to expel the local population from the lands their ancestors had inhabited for centuries. By occupying these areas, they artificially created densely populated Armenian habitats, continuously growing and expanding due to inflow of Armenian refugees from Turkey. Once the first Armenian state in the South Caucasus, Republic of Ararat with an original area less than 10 thousand square kilometers, was founded within the borders of the Irevan Governorate late in May 1918, genocide policy was elevated to the state level. That happened despite the 4 June 1918 Treaty of Batum with the Ottoman Empire, whereby (ref. item 6) the government of Armenia agreed to ensure security and free development for Muslims (Azerbaijanis) residing in the country, and to permit unobstructed education and religious practices in their mother tongue. When the Azerbaijan National Council ruled on 29 May 1918 to cede the town of Irevan to Armenia as a capital, it had devastating consequences for its Azerbaijani populace (according to the Caucasian Calendar, 12,605 Azerbaijanis were residing there as of 1 January 1916). The 29 June 1919 issue of Azerbaijan newspaper cited a person who had witnessed the oppression of Muslim community in Irevan: «The Muslims (Azerbaijanis) are so defenseless and outlawed in Iravan that in broad daylight (let alone at night) they are robbed of their clothes, if those are of any value whatsoever, even in the Muslim (Azerbaijani) quarters of the town. Likewise, they are robbed of money and other values… Even houses that belong to Muslims (Azerbaijanis) are not spared; armed to the teeth, Armenian cutthroats break in and steal “excess” belongings. All that is still happening in Iravan, the capital of Armenia. The torment and hardships the Muslims (Azerbaijanis) have suffered in Iravan are simply beyond any description. Many can’t stand it and lose their mind, some get old before their time… This is how Muslims (Azerbaijanis) live in the town.” During 17 through 31 August 1919, up to 50 Muslim (Azerbaijani) villages in Irevan, Surmalin, Echmiadzin, and Novobayazet uyezds were razed to the ground. Describing the bloodshed in the Irevan Governorate and economic difficulties its Muslim population was facing, Commissioner of Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Patronage in Armenia T. Makinski wrote on 2 September 1919 to the Minister of Patronage: “The last days’ events were a tragedy to the Muslim (Azerbaijani) population; 50 to 60 villages, where dwellers returned home, have been razed again, with survivors leaving their belongings and bread in storages and fleeing for their life… Up to 150,000 Muslims (Azerbaijanis) have emigrated from Novobayazet, Echmiadzin, and Iravan uyezds. There is still a small number of Muslims (Azerbaijanis) within Armenia, yet it is diminishing as people flee in fear of pogroms and oppression. There are no more Muslims (Azerbaijanis) in Novobayazet District. Approximately 25,000 Muslims (Azerbaijanis) are residing in Iravan Uyezd’s areas under Armenian government’s control; the same number is reported in Echmiadzin (25,000), and 15,000 in Surmalin (again, only in the areas controlled by Armenian government). Besides, 13,000 refugees and locals are residing in Iravan. There have always been very few Muslims (Azerbaijanis) in Alexandropol Uyezd. If we sum up the number of destitute Muslims (Azerbaijanis) across the Iravan Governorate, it will be 70,000 to 80,000 people. The Muslim (Azerbaijani) population in question is in a terrible situation: no bread in stock, no seeds, no farm stock, no cattle, and most of them have no shelter. They are starving, impoverished, driven to despair. The overwhelming majority of Muslim (Azerbaijani) population in Armenia does not have any crops, and those who would not suffer new pogroms have been virtually deprived of their lands (which were leased and taken away).” During the last 2 months of 1919, Armenian militants once again razed 62 villages in Echmiadzin, 34 in Surmalin, and all Muslim (Azerbaijani) villages (save Zangibasar) in Irevan Uyezd. As the Ministry of Patronage reported, over 200 thousand people fled the destroyed Muslim (Azerbaijani) villages of Novobayazet, Irevan, and Echmiadzin uyezds as of the late 1919. They mostly settled in Nakhchivan, Sharur, Gazakh, Ganja, and Shamakhi. N.I. Solovyov, Chairman of the Azerbaijan SSR Council of National Economy, described the hardships of Armenia’s Azerbaijani community in his 1920 memo “Our Policy in Azerbaijan Over 2 Months (May-June) After The Takeover”, addressed to the RSFR Council of People’s Commissars Chairman V.I. Lenin. He wrote that “there were 250 Muslim (Azerbaijanis) villages within when Armenian republic, but all of them have been razed to the ground, so there is no single Muslim (Azerbaijani) there.” Large-scale violence against Azerbaijani population in the Iravan Governorate has also been reflected in Armenian historians’ articles. Armenian historian A. Lalayan writes: “During the Dashnaktsutiun dictatorship (1918–1920), all non-Armenian population was outlawed. Over two and a half years at the helm, Dashnaktsutiun bayonetted Azerbaijanis residing in Armenia into submission, killing and robbing civilians, razing towns and villages.” Lalayan goes on writing that the Turkic (Azerbaijani) community of Armenia was reduced by 77% over 30 months of Dashnaktsutiun in charge of the country. All in all, the very existence of the 1918–1920 First Republic of Armenia was a clear display of Armenian politicians having created the state authority not to govern the country, but rather to eradicate the Azerbaijanis population and seize its properties. Those events demonstrated that Armenians, boasting their ‘civility’ and ‘ancient history’, were in fact not mature enough to have a state of their own, let alone rule other nations. 1948–1953 During the Soviet era, Azerbaijanis kept leaving Armenia for good. This process gained traction after the World War II and was a permanent trend right until the collapse of the Soviet Union. Endorsed by Joseph Stalin, the USSR Council of Ministers on 23 December 1947 resolved to relocate Azerbaijani population from the Armenian SSR to the Kura-Araz Lowland. Pursuant to this Decree, the Azerbaijani community of Armenia (ca. 100 thousand people) had to be resettled in 1948–1950. According to the “Narkhozuchet” and the Ministry of Agriculture of the Armenian SSR, before the resettlement in 1948, 25 thousand families or about 110 thousand Azerbaijanis lived in Armenia. Of these, only 9 thousand families or 35 thousand people lived in low-lying regions, the remaining 75 thousand lived in the high-mountain regions of the Armenian SSR. Such deportation was caused by pretended repatriation of Armenians residing in the USA, Europe, Middle East etc. With Azerbaijani population driven out of Armenia, it was much easier to accept and settle Armenians coming from overseas. Pursuant to the above Decree, buildings and houses abandoned by Azerbaijani people were used to accommodate these newcomers. In fact, Azerbaijani people were stripped of their history and cultural heritage, let alone housing and lands they had inherited from their fathers. Whatever the case, it is evident that they failed to resettle the planned number of Azerbaijani families from Armenia within the set timeframe. The USSR Council of Ministers therefore adopted on 6 September 1950 new Resolution titled “Resettlement to Collective Farms of The Kura-Araz Lowland (Azerbaijan SSR) in 1951–1955”. Pursuant to this Resolution, 15 thousand Azerbaijani families from the countryside and towns were supposed to be moved from the Armenian SSR. By extending the resettlement campaign, Moscow was striving to finally achieve the required bar of 100 thousand people as stipulated by previous decrees dated 23 December 1947 and 10 March 1948, respectively. According, however, to the 13 October 1953 letter from the Azerbaijan SSR’s Minister of Agriculture I. Abdullayev to the Azerbaijan Communist Party CC Secretary I. Mustafayev and Council of Minister Chairman T. Guliyev, the actual number of settlers from the Armenian SSR to the Kura-Araz Lowland during 1948–1953 was 53,000 (11,914 families). This deportation is comparable with that of, say, the Chechens and Ingush, Balkars, Karachays, and other nations to Kazakhstan and Central Asia. It was a deportation as it was carried out against the will of people subjected to resettlement. Their life effectively destroyed, dozens of thousands of people had to start from scratch and adapt to new conditions, new environment, and new activities. The resettlement process has gone downhill ever since Stalin passed away in 1953. On the one hand, it was due to the failure by the Soviet government to resettle the expected number of Azerbaijani people within the set timeframe, and on the other due to the sharp decline in inflow of Armenian immigrants wishing to abandon a convenient Western lifestyle for challenging social and living conditions they were facing in the Soviet Armenia. The outflow of Azerbaijanis from Armenia persisted nevertheless. Fully realizing their second-class position in Armenia, their exodus was inevitable; it was a permanent trend right up to the collapse of the Soviet Union. In his 18 December 1997 Decree, President Heydar Aliyev of Azerbaijan provided the first ever political and legal assessment of Azerbaijanis’ deportation from Armenia in 1948–1953. It was specifically mentioned in this Decree that, apart from criminal politics led by Armenian chauvinistic circles and the Soviet government, it was the Azerbaijani authorities’ position of that time that had conflicted with national interests. The involvement of the latter in criminal activity against our compatriots was also pointed out in the Decree. 1987–1991 The final, yet the most tragic (scale- and approach-wise) deportation of Azerbaijani people from Armenia occurred in 1987–1991. Unlike that of 1948–1953, it coincided with Armenia unfolding its territorial claims to Azerbaijan and was therefore unusually severe. To make matters worse, this time Azerbaijani people were in a completely hopeless situation as the deportation was directly supported by Armenia’s administrative and law-enforcement bodies, who maintained the lands Azerbaijanis inhabited had historically belonged to Armenians. The bulk of Azerbaijani refugees were villagers who were forced to abandon their homelands, grazing lands, fields, and gardens their ancestors had worked at for centuries. Only a small percentage of our nationals was represented by dwellers of small industrial towns and Iravan itself. The Azerbaijani people had a good command of Armenian language and used it as fluently as their own mother tongue, Azerbaijani. And still Armenians would not let them forget that they are aliens, the ‘Turks’. Once the deportation started, Azerbaijani delegations from different regions of Armenia and thousands of individuals filed complaints to the highest echelons of power, to the party leaders and the government, signaling their concern over violent incidents against them and pleading to stop the lawlessness. Insulted and humiliated, people who lost their loved ones and home still craved for justice rather than retribution. But their pleas were left unanswered. According to the Azerbaijan SSR Council of Ministers, there were over 78 thousand refugees from Armenia in the republic as of 2 December 1988. The 1989 All-Union census reported 84,860 Azerbaijanis still residing in the Armenian SSR, who were forced to leave it by 1990. Accommodated in temporary resettlement facilities, refugees were then dispatched to final settlement locations. With Azerbaijanis driven out of Armenia, the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict gained traction. As the USSR Constitution was grossly violated, the Soviet leadership kept making their decisions on the premises that order could be restored by disciplining individual managers, ministers, or law enforcement officers, yet this clearly political process had already acquired a power of erupting volcano. The content of decisions made in Moscow was a bright evidence of the central power having always stuck to the approach whereby both aggrieved parties bore equal responsibility in any critical situation, no matter who had triggered it and where first streams of refugees had come from. Failing to realize or assess humanitarian and political ramifications of the tragedy, the leadership in Moscow could not comprehend that it would eventually propagate to all localities where Armenians and Azerbaijanis lived side by side. Whatever the Soviet leadership’s intention was, the ambiguous nature of their political and management efforts combined with assigning equal responsibility to parties was the main reason why the process spiraled out of control, causing increasingly heated debates between the conflicting parties and distrust in central government on the both sides. From 1987 on, the refugee issue for long years became an inherent factor of political and social life in Azerbaijan. Source: “Deportation of Azerbaijanis from the Territory of Modern Day Armenia in the XX Century“, Karabakh Center: https://story.karabakh.center/en/deportation-of-azerbaijanis-from-the-territory-of-modern-day-armenia

Massacres of Azerbaijanis Massacres of 1905–1906 The turmoil in Russia during the years of 1905–1906 was an opportunity for Armenians to commit mass massacres against peaceful Azerbaijani population living in Baku, Iravan, Yelizavetpol (Ganja) and Tbilisi governorates. Armenian armed groups intended to lay the foundations of “Greater Armenia” by killing and evicting the Azerbaijani population and settling Armenians in these areas located in Iravan-Nakhchivan-Zangezur-Karabakh and Gazakh-Ganja directions. More than 400,000 Armenians (many of them were armed) flocked to the South Caucasus after the suppression of the Armenian uprisings in Türkiye in the 90s of the 19th century. In order to resettle refugee Armenian families, the Armenian church, Armenian political parties, and Armenian intellectuals jointly found a “way out”: expelling Azerbaijanis from their historical-ethnic lands by force of arms and committing mass massacres, settling Armenian families in the vacated territories. The correspondent of “Kaspi” newspaper wrote on the basis of the letters received from Iravan at that time that the Armenians decided to evict all Muslims from Iravan province and settle Armenians from Türkiye in their places. According to the results of the All-Russian census of 1897, of 1301 villages in Iravan governorate, 959 was inhabited by Turks, and Armenians lived in 342 villages. In Iravan uezd, which included the city of Iravan, of 221 villages Turks lived in 151 villages, Armenians lived in 55 villages, 15 villages had a mixed population of Armenians and Turks. Azerbaijani villages surrounded the city of Iravan like a ring. Therefore, the massacres committed by Armenians started in Iravan and spread to the surrounding regions. At the beginning of February 1905, after Armenians killed an Azerbaijani in the center of the city, mass riots began, which were called “Armenian-Muslim massacres” in the press of that time. The indifference of the administration of Tsarist Russia to the massacres committed by the terrorist armed groups of the Armenian political parties “Dashnaksutyun” and “Hnchak” led to the expansion of the scale of the massacres, and the riots soon spread to the city of Iravan. According to the information provided by the Armenian author (whose real name is Hovanes Ter-Martirosyan) who published his works under the signature of A-do, the first Armenian-Turkish clash took place in the city of Iravan on February 20-22, 1905. On Sunday, February 20, at 10 o’clock in the morning, Armenians spread a rumor in the city that the Turks are killing Armenians in Gantar (Terezi) square. There was great panic in the city. The Armenians in the market run to the Armenian part of the city, and the Turks run to the Turkish part, and in a few seconds the market was completely empty. After 15 minutes shooting, the dead and wounded were brought to the city hospital one after the other. A little later, the number of dead and injured reached 14. Massacres continued on February 21-22. According to A-don, 54 people were killed and injured on both sides as a result of the first clash in Iravan. Trade in the city was suspended for 5 days. The next target of Armenian armed groups was Nakhchivan uezd. Armenian-Muslim massacres in Nakhchivan uezd began on May 5, 1905, when Armenian militants injured three residents of Jahri village near Shikhmahmud settlement. Viceroy of the Caucasus Voronsov-Dashkov sent General Magsud Alikhanov-Avarsky to Nakhchivan to prevent the riots. (M. Alikhanov-Avarsky was the husband of General Huseyn Nakhchivansky’s sister. Therefore, the “Dashnaksutyun” party sentenced Alikhanov-Avarsky to death. Lieutenant-General Alikhanov-Avarsky, the commander of the Second Caucasian Division, was killed by Armenian terrorists Dro, Kamo in Gyumri on July 3, 1907). After receiving a decent response from the Azerbaijanis in Nakhchivan uezd, the Armenians retreated and managed to shift the center of massacres to Sharur-Daraleyaz and Iravan uezds. As soon as the massacres in Nakhchivan stopped, the Armenians started spreading news that there would be chaos again in Iravan. In order to eliminate the impending danger, the Armenian and Muslim representatives of the city gathered and decided to implement joint measures. With the help of the governorate administration, an executive commission consisting of 22 representatives from both nations was organized. To control the city, the commission divided it into quarters, and several influential Armenians and Muslims were assigned to control each quarter. The city police chief was asked to assist the commission and strengthen security. However, the measures taken were not enough to prevent further massacres in Iravan. The second massacres that took place in Iravan on May 23-26 were more terrible in terms of scale. Some of the newspapers of that time reported truthfully about the massacres raging in the city of Iravan, especially about the murders and robberies committed by Armenians. According to the news published in the “Qafqaz” newspaper, which was considered a relatively neutral newspaper, 31 people – 9 Armenians, 21 Muslims, 1 Aysor were killed, 24 Armenians, 10 Muslims, 1 Jew and 1 Russian were injured during the first three days of the unrest in Iravan. About the massacres that took place on May 26, the “Kaspi” newspaper, referring to the “Tiflisskiy listok” newspaper, wrote that 24 people were killed and injured from a bomb thrown into the house of a Tatar (Azerbaijani), and in the Tepebaşı neighborhood, where Tatars live, houses were blown up with bombs and many people died, there were also many casualties in Zangi valley. Armenian armed groups attacked the Azerbaijani villages surrounding the city of Iravan, burned them and destroyed the majority of their population. After a three-month break, on September 18, 1905, the third Armenian-Muslim massacres began in Iravan. In a telegram sent from Iravan on September 19, by Prince Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, Governor General of Iravan province (descendant of Bonaparte house), it was stated that on September 18, at 3 o’clock in the afternoon, when 10 Muslims were returning from the city to the village, one of the Armenians opened fire, as a result one Tatar died and one was mortally wounded. Immediately, with the help of the security guard and troops 5 Armenians were arrested. Captured Armenians were brought to the city at 5 o’clock, a group of Armenians and Muslims gathered around them. The cavalry squad was ordered to disperse the crowd, after which the squad was directed towards the market and the boulevard. A mass shooting started when one of the Muslims opened fire, 8 Muslims, 2 Armenians were killed, 3 Muslims, 8 Armenians were injured during the riots. The Governor-General Napoleon’s resolute prevention of riots did not benefit the Armenians. They tried by all means to remove him from office. Voronsov-Dashkov, the pro-Armenian Viceroy of the Caucasus, released Napoleon from the post of Governor-General some time after the suppression of the third Armenian-Turkish massacres. At the beginning of October, the situation was tense again. With the participation of the authorized representatives of the city of Iravan, a temporary commission was established for the restoration and protection of peace under the new Governor-General of Iravan province, Count Vladimir Tizenhausen. The members of the commission were authorized to determine the amount of damage caused to the residents who suffered as a result of national enmity, and within two weeks to raise a case before the city authorities for the payment of the damage from the other side. Panah Khan Makinski, Karbalayi Mammad Aliyev, Agha Khan Iravanski, Mir Abbas Mirbabayev, Alakbar Bey Ismayilov, Abbasgulu Bey Hajibeylinski and other famous intellectuals of Iravan were members of the commission. On February 20, 1906, a peace conference was held in the palace of Voronsov-Dashkov, the Viceroy of the Caucasus, in Tiflis in order to end the Armenian-Muslim clashes. In that conference, which was referred “Armenian-Muslim congress” in the press of that time, the entire delegation of the viceroyalty, the governors of Tiflis, Yelizavetpol and Iravan, 28 representatives of Armenians, 29 representatives of Muslims, two qadis and two bishops participated. The Muslim representatives of the Iravan governorate were represented by Aga Khan Iravanski, Abbasgulu Bey Hajibeylinski, Prince Shahgulu Mirza. At that conference, which lasted until March 7, Muslim representatives Ahmad Bey Aghayev, Alimardan Bey Topchubashov, Adil Khan Ziyadkhanov and others exposed the intentions of the “Dashnaksutyun” party as the organizer and executor of massacres and terrorism in the Caucasus, and also the official government circles were observing the actions of this organization, while doing nothing to prevent the atrocities. As a result of the conference held in Tbilisi, the Armenian-Muslim reconciliation commission was established. However, shortly after the clashes calmed down, the Armenian armed groups started the massacres again. According to the information provided by the Armenian author A-don, the fourth Armenian-Muslim clash took place in the city of Iravan on May 27 and June 8-9, 1906. According to A-Don, the clash began on May 27 at Gantar (Libra) square in Iravan. The shooting was very short. Troops came to restore the order. But the casualties already reached to 36 dead and wounded. Out of the 22 people killed, 13 were Armenians, 7 Turks, 1 Molokan, and 1 Jew. 7 of the 14 wounded were Armenians, 4 were Turks, and the rest were representatives of other nationalities. According to A-don, on June 8, clashes broke out again in Iravan, but they were quickly quelled thanks to the decisive measures taken by the troops. In this clash, 10 people were killed on both sides. 5 Turks, 3 Armenians, 1 Kurd, and 1 Jew were among those killed. Of the 19 wounded, 13 were Turks and 6 were Armenians. The morning of June 9 began with heavy shooting, but there were no casualties. M.S. Ordubadi characterized the genocide committed by Armenians in 1905, in the territory of present Armenia as follows: “Iravan district turned into a fiery mountain, a volcano suffocating the noble Islamic nation…” Only after the emergence of the “Difai” party in Ganja and the counter-actions of its local branches against the Armenian terrorists, the massacres ended. At the beginning of the 20th century, the number of the Azerbaijani population in the city of Iravan was approximately equal to the number of the Armenian population (12.5 thousand people). However, in 1905–1906, after the mass massacres committed by Armenians in Iracan, the ethnic composition of the population changed in favor of Armenians. The migration of some wealthy Azerbaijanis from Iravan significantly weakened the position of Azerbaijanis in the city. The results of the research show that in 1905–1906, Armenian formations numbering more than ten thousand armed men commited massacres against Azerbaijanis in Baku, Iravan and its surrounding villages, Etchmiadzin (Uchkilsa), Sharur-Daralayaz and Nakhchivan uezds, Gorus, Gapan (Gafan) and Garakilsa (Sisyan) districts of Zangezur uezd of Yelizavetpol (Ganja) governorate, Shusha, Javanshire, Jabrayil, Gazakh uezds, Tiflis city and Borchali, and destroyed more than 200 settlements. Genocide of 1918–1920 In the course of the First World War, there were 150,000 Armenian soldiers during the Russian army’s attack on Eastern Anatolia. Moreover, 4 Armenian druzhinas, which included approximately 10,000 volunteers, joined the Russian troops from South Azerbaijan (through Khoy, Urmia, Selmas provinces) and Kars province with the blessing of Etchmiadzin church. Taking advantage of the opportunity, the Armenian militants destroyed the Azerbaijani and Turkish villages on the roads they crossed and massacred their population. In November 1917, as a result of the coup d’état in Russia, Russian troops withdrew from Eastern Anatolia and handed over the weapons and ammunition to the Armenian commanders, with the help of which the Armenians expanded the scale of massacres. From February 1918, the Turkish troops launched a counterattack and cleared the Armenian troops from Eastern Anatolia. After the failure of the Armenians and their protectors to create an independent Armenian state in Eastern Anatolia during the First World War, the idea of creating an Armenian state in Iravan governorate and its adjacent territories came to the agenda. The retreating Armenian army under the command of Andranik, Hamazasp, Dron, and Njdeh carried out a real genocide against Muslims in first Erzurum and Kars provinces, and then in Iravan and Zangezur. During the Russian occupation of Eastern Anatolia, the Armenians who participated in the massacres also flocked to the South Caucasus together with the Armenian troops. At that time, most of the 350,000 Armenians who came from Türkiye settled in Iravan governorate, and as a result, the situation of Azerbaijanis became even worse. Until March 1918, Armenian armed groups destroyed 32 villages in Iravan uezd, 84 in Echimadzin uezd, 7 in Novo-Bayazid uezd, and 75 villages in Surmeli uezd – a total of 198 villages. In March 1918, the refugee department of the Muslim faction under the South Caucasian (Transcaucasia) Seim was established to deal with the problem of the refugees from Iravan province. The Muslim faction raised the issue before the Seim government, consequently, a delegation was sent to stop the massacres against Muslims in the Iravan governorate, and the results of the investigations were discussed at the Seim session, although the situation of the refugees was alleviated to some extent, it was not possible to stop the massacres completely. A branch of the Baku Muslim Charitable Society was established in Iravan to help Muslims living in Iravan governorate. The first stage of the mass killings of Azerbaijanis in Iravan governorate coincided with the eve of the establishment of an independent Armenian state in the territory of Azerbaijan. On May 26, 1918, the South Caucasus Seim dissolved itself and declared the independence of Georgia. At the meeting of the Muslim National Council held on May 27, Nasib Bey Yusifbeyov stated that the opinion of the Turkish delegation represented at the Batumi Conference is that the South Caucasus should protect its independence, and in order to protect its unity and solidarity, Armenians should be given some land. On May 28, 1918, the independence of Azerbaijan and Armenia was declared. On May 29, at the meeting of the Muslim National Council, a decision was made on the concession of Iravan to Armenia as a political center. Members of the National Council from Iravan immediately expressed their objection to this compromise. However, the decision was made with the consent of 16 of the 28 members of the National Council, three abstentions and one dissenting vote. At the meeting of the National Council held on June 1, the members of the Council from Iravan, Mir Hidayat Seyidov, Bagir Rizayev and Nariman Bey Narimanbeyov, expressed their written objection to the decision on the concession of Iravan to Armenia, but there was no result. In May 1918, the Turkish troops, who were pursuing the Armenian armed groups committing massacres against the Turks in Eastern Anatolia, cleared the cities of Gyumri and Boyuk Garakilsa from Armenian atrocities. Although the Turkish army reached the Ulukhanli station, which was 7 kilometers from the city of Iravan, it moved in the direction of Nakhchivan without entering the city. According to the peace and friendship agreement signed between Türkiye and Armenia in Batumi on June 4, the territory of the Republic of Armenia was approximately 10,000 square kilometers, and the population was 321,000 people (including 230,000 Armenians, 80,000 Muslims, 5,000 Yezidi Kurds, 6,000 other nations). The territory of this republic included Novo-Bayazid uezd, three-fifths of Iravan uezd, a quarter of Etchmiadzin uezd, and a quarter of Alexandropol uezd. At the meeting of the National Council held on June 13, news of massacres commited by Armenians against Muslims in Iravan was discussed. It is reported that the number of displaced refugees had reached 150,000, and Armenians had destroyed 206 villages. The National Council decided to send a representative to provide financial assistance to the refugees in Iravan province. Also, the council requested the command of the Turkish troops in the territory of Iravan governorate to provide food aid to the refugees and force the Armenian government to authorize the return of Azerbaijanis to their homeland. The capture of Zangezur by the Armenian armed forces under Andranik’s command and the Armenian government’s consideration of Nagorno-Karabakh as a disputed territory prompted Azerbaijani diplomacy to take adequate steps. Azerbaijan’s diplomatic representative in Georgia stated in his letter to Armenia’s representative in Georgia that Armenia’s claim to consider Karabakh as a disputed zone was a violation of the agreement reached between the parties, and that Azerbaijan reserved the right of territorial claim to the city of Iravan, part of Echmiadzin, Novo-Beyazid and Iravan uezds of Iravan governorate. According to the Mudros agreement signed on October 30, 1918, after the withdrawal of the Turkish troops from the South Caucasus, the second stage of mass looting of Armenians against Azerbaijanis in the territory of Iravan governorate began. At the end of December, the government of Azerbaijan appointed Mohammad Khan Tekinski its diplomatic representative in Armenia. Before the diplomatic representation of Azerbaijan in Iravan began to operate, international organizations, Azerbaijani press and official circles were informed about the atrocities committed by Armenians in the territory of Iravan governorate by Muslim National Council of Iravan, the Iravan Muslim Charitable Society and the Iravan Governorate Compatriots’ Organization. In the information sent by Teymur Khan Makinsky, the Chairman of the Iravan Governorate Compatriots’ Organization on January 4, 1919, it was stated that from December 1917 to June 1918, until the arrival of Turkish troops, in Iravan Governorate, Armenian military units destroyed, looted, burned more than 200 Muslim settlements, some of the population was killed, and some fled to the mountains and perished from hunger and cold. According to his information, the Armenian armed groups had seized the entire Surmeli uezd and a part of Iravan, Etchmiadzin, Sharur-Daraleyaz uezds and were moving in the direction of Nakhchivan. Innocent Muslim population was either exterminated or expelled from their villages and were forced to flee to Iran through mountain roads. Teymur Khan Makinsky wrote that Armenian refugees from Türkiye settled in forcibly evacuated Muslim villages. On January 4, 1919, the petition addressed to the speaker of the parliament signed by the members of the parliament, Teymur Khan Makinsky, Maharram Maharramov, Akbaraga Sheikhulislamov and a group of intellectuals of the Iravan province, stated that 500,000 Muslim residents of Iravan governorate considered themselves an integral part of Azerbaijan, and they wished that the Armenians would not disturb their peaceful life until their fate was resolved at the Paris Peace Conference. After enumerating the scale of the massacres committed by the Armenian troops, the parliament was asked to take necessary measures to protect the Muslims of Iravan. In January 1919, on behalf of the representatives of the Muslim population of the Iravan province, Mir Hidayat Seyidov’s address to the head of the Azerbaijani government stated that the Armenian government resettled the Armenian refugees in the Muslim villages which were forcefully emptied. The goal was to exterminate Muslims as much as possible and clear them of all uezds so that they could prove that those territories belonged to Armenians at the Paris Peace Conference. The pro-Armenian position of General A. Thomson, the commander of the Allies’ troops in the South Caucasus, encouraged Armenians to seize new territories. On May 28, 1919, the Armenian Parliament adopted an act on the establishment of the “United Armenia” state by annexing 6 provinces of Türkiye to Armenia. Territories of Azerbaijan claimed by the Armenian government were also included in “United Armenia”. On June 4, 1919, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, A. Ziyadkhanov, in a letter sent to the diplomatic representative in Armenia, M. Takinsky, stated that an Extraordinary Parliamentary Commission would be established and instructed him to collect information for that Commission about the massacres committed by Armenians in the Iravan governorate. The government of Azerbaijan was intensively communicating with the relevant institutions of Armenia in order to stop the massacres against Azerbaijanis in the territory of Iravan governorate. The Armenian government continued its policy of oppression while continuing the diplomatic correspondence. Archive documents prove that Armenians did not stop killing and looting against Azerbaijanis in Iravan governorate even for a single day. In the article “The situation of Muslims in Armenia” published on June 29-July 1, 1919, the “Azerbaijan” (in Russian) newspaper wrote about the tragic situation of the Azerbaijani population of Iravan: “The situation of Muslims in the Republic of Armenia is tragic. Most of the beautiful houses and gardens in Iravan belonged to Muslims… When the Turkish troops approached Iravan, the Muslim population of the city was afraid for some reason and left the city. Armenian refugees from Türkiye took possession of their property. On the way back to the city, the Muslims who accepted the Armenian government were completely robbed by the Armenian armed forces… Since the Armenian refugees did not let the Muslims with rich gardens and beautiful houses back into their homes, since winter they had been living in the mosques… The Armenian government compels thousands of robbed, hungry and sick Muslims to live without roofs over their heads… It is difficult to describe the agony suffered by Muslims. Many people do not tolerate this and go crazy… Armenians, return the houses to the rightful owners after receiving a large amount of ransom. The Armenian government deliberately resettles Armenian refugees in Muslim neighborhoods and homes…” “Azerbaijan” newspaper (in Russian) wrote in the article “Iravan and Karabakh” on July 9, 1919: “Crimes committed by the Dashnaks against the Muslim population in the Iravan governorate went unpunished and are not known to the public or the press. In March 1918, all the Muslim villages of Surmeli uezd of Iravan province were destroyed and burned by the Dashnaks, who declared their goal “death to all Muslims”. The inhabitants of the uezd were killed. Almost the entire population of the villages of Guluna, Yayci, Oba, Qazigishlaq, and Amarat was massacred. 6,000 people who were saved by a miracle gathered in the village of Diza to cross the Araz river and arrive to the Iravan uezd. Armenian troops surrounded this village and slaughtered the population. They poured the blood of the unfortunate victims into the pool of the mosque… Nothing is left from the Surmeli uezd…” The situation of the Muslims in other uezds – Novo-Bayazid, Etchmiadzin and Iravan – was more deplorable. In these accidents, massacres were carried out more inhumanely. A real war was fought in bayonet charges and bombardment. Only Sharur and Nakhchivan were saved due to the capture of the “Wolf Gate” thanks to the heroic sons who could prevent the attacks of the Armenians… The situation of Iravan and the Muslim population, who moved to Kars en masse after the accidents, became worse. They (Azerbaijanis) were forced to seek shelter in the Anatolian mountains. It seems that the scale of the horrors inflicted on the Muslim population in Iravan governorate seemed to be insignificant for the Armenians. With help from abroad, the Dashnaks were trying to recreate the Iravan tragedy in Karabakh as well. It would be interesting to compare the situation of Armenians in Azerbaijan with the situation of Muslims in Iravan. “Armenians are full-fledged citizens in our republic. They enjoy all civil liberties, they are represented in the parliament and the government, the state spends a lot of money on the education of their children, no one touches them, they do not seek refuge in other governorates. Some of the Muslims of Iravan have been massacred, some have been scattered, and they cannot find shelter anywhere.” This article clearly expressed the difference between Armenians living in Azerbaijan and Azerbaijanis living in the Republic of Armenia. At its session on July 17, 1919, the Parliament of Azerbaijan discussed the issue of the situation of refugees from Zangezur uezd and Iravan governorate. Bagir Bey Rizayev said that 22,000 Muslims lived in Iravan a year ago, and most of them left the city, and recently they saw their houses and belongings destroyed. He stated that the Armenian government did not help the Muslim refugees. Garabey Garabeyov stated: “Grain was brought to the hungry Armenians by the Armenian government and the American delegation. But all the Muslims there are hungry and go from door to door without clothes. Their situation is much worse… It is impossible for Muslims to live like this in Armenia… Muslims were forced out of their villages. Iravan is full of hungry people. They ask (from charitable organizations) for return to their villages and express their readiness to survive on grass and hay. But they are not allowed to return to their villages, they are told that if there are 45 houses in the village, all are occupied by Armenians, and Muslims are not welcomed. In sum, according to official reports, Armenians commit atrocities against Muslims. They did it before. They removed and destroyed the gravestones. The doors and windows of the mosques were taken away. They blew up the roof and committed atrocities there.” Sultan Majid Ganizade in his statement about the true face of the Armenian government expressed that: “They are slaughtering and killing our brothers there. Their goal is not to leave a single Muslim alive. To force the muslims to leave their ancestral lands…” The representative of the Ministry of Protection of Azerbaijan in Armenia, Teymur Khan Makinsky, sent a report to the Ministry of Protection on November 11, 1919, and revealed the true face of the Armenian government: “As a result of the massacres that continued since February 1918, half million people became beggars. (Except from Nakhchivan, Sharur uezds, 2-3 police areas of Surmeli uezd and Zangibasar district). The Muslim population in those areas lost everything. The population of the destroyed regions is more than 200,000 people. They perished from disease and hunger, they were repeatedly looted and massacred. Muslims of Iravan city, Goykumbat, Arbat, Aghcagishlaq and Charbakh villages of Zangibasar belong to this category. It can be said with certainty that the number of dead is 100-120 thousand people. 50 thousand people came to Azerbaijan as refugees. Almost as many live in Iravan, Zangibasar uezds, 2 settlements of Surmeli and Etchmiadzin uezds. The rest of the refugees fled to Nakhchivan uezd, Sharur uezd, 3rd area of Surmeli uezd and Gagizman district of Kars province. Some of them took refugee at Maku Khanate and at the territory of Türkiye. Currently, food aid (in the form of flour, grain and bread) should be provided to 50,000 people. The number of people who are starving in Iravan is 8,000 people.” On December 20, 1919, in Tiflis, based on the statements of refugees from Iravan and Kars provinces, it was noted in the protocol that on the other bank of the Aras and Tarasum rivers, 50 thousand refugees,whose property was looted and destroyed, had gathered in a safer place, 17 versts from the Ulukhanli station. In addition, it was mentioned in the protocol that 14 employees worked at the disposal of Azerbaijan’s representative office in Iravan, and their duty was to protect the refugees in Iravan and send them to Azerbaijan, but the refugees who were more than 20 versts away from Iravan were left on their own. At the session of the Parliament of Azerbaijan held on January 5, 1920, the issue of refugees was discussed, and it was noted that 300 thousand refugees came from Armenia. Mir Mahmud Mirbabayev, employee of Azerbaijan’s diplomatic mission in Armenia, in his confidential letter sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan on January 25, 1920, indicated that the situation of Muslims in the city of Iravan was miserable: there were no Muslim shops, houses were destroyed, safety of the lives was not guaranteed. After the Bolsheviks seized power in Azerbaijan in April 1920, the massacres committed by the Dashnak government against Azerbaijanis entered a new stage and became more massive and severe. In 1919, 14,000 people died of hunger in the city of Iravan, which had a population of 29,000, and within 6 months, 4,000 people died of starvation in Etchmiadzin uezd. As Azerbaijanis’ lifes were in danger because of their ethnic identities, they could not leave their homes and were subjected to starvation. However, at that time, the American Aid Committee to Armenia was operating under the chairmanship of Dr. Yarrow in Armenia. The main reasons why some Azerbaijanis escaped the Armenian massacres in the city of Iravan were their compact settlement (in the Demirbulag, Tepebashi, Gala city and Old parts of the city), and the activities of the representatives of the diplomatic mission of Azerbaijan, the Ministry of Protection of Azerbaijan, and the Baku Muslim Charitable Society operating in Iravan. Since there was no such control in districts, Armenian armed groups carried out murders and robberies against Azerbaijanis as they wished. In general, in 1918–1920, Armenian armed groups destroyed 58 settlements in Shamakhi uezd, 112 in Guba uezd, 323 in Ganja province (including 166 in Zangezur, 157 in Karabakh), 300 in Iravan province, 82 in Kars province, hundreds of thousands Azerbaijanis were murdered, nearly one million people were displaced from their historical-ethnic lands. In general, in the years 1905–1920, more than 500 Azerbaijani villages were destroyed only in the territory of present-day Armenia, and the vast majority of them became Armenian settlements. In 1916, 373,582 Azerbaijanis lived in the Iravan governorate, while in November 1920, only 12,000 Azerbaijanis were registered in the Armenian SSR. After the establishment of Soviet power in Armenia, a small number of Azerbaijanis were able to return to their homes. In 1922, a total of 5124 Azerbaijanis lived in Iravan, while the number of Armenians reached 40396. In other words, in 1918–1920, the number of Azerbaijanis decreased by 2.5 times, while the number of Armenians increased by approximately 4 times. There are enough facts in the archives and in the press of that time to come to the conclusion that during the years of 1918–1920, genocide was committed against Azerbaijanis in Armenia. On March 26, 1998, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan signed a decree “On the Genocide of Azerbaijanis in order to give a legal and political assessment to the genocide and deportation actions committed by Armenians against Azerbaijanis in the 19th and 20th centuries and March 31 was declared the Genocide Day of Azerbaijanis in order to commemorate all the genocide tragedies. Nazim Mustafa Doctor of philosophy in history, recipient of the State Prize