Decision in Tashkent on Joint Turkic Struggle Against Armenian Nationalism

A group of Azerbaijani public figures has called for the unification of Turkic efforts to combat Armenian nationalism, citing ethnic cleansing in the South Caucasus and Central Asia. The statement was made during a conference titled "Return to Western Azerbaijan and the Turkic World," held in Tashkent, where Azerbaijani speakers addressed Uzbek officials, foreign guests, and the public regarding the historical injustices faced by Turks in the region.

The event highlighted atrocities committed by Armenian nationalists in the early 20th century, with a focus on the ethnic cleansing of Turks in what is now the Republic of Armenia, formerly Western Azerbaijan.

"The purpose of this conference is to raise global awareness about the history of ethnic cleansing against Turks in the South Caucasus and Central Asia," said Yasemen Garagoyunlu, a public figure and candidate for the Milli Majlis, in a statement to Turan News Agency.

Garagoyunlu referenced historical events such as the massacre of 35,000 Azerbaijanis in Zangezur in 1918. She also pointed to the killings in Kirkuk (modern-day Iraq) in 1924, where Armenians, with the support of the British, killed 280,000 Turks. According to her, Armenian Dashnaks were responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Turks in the Caucasus and Central Asia, including Uzbekistan.

At the conference, remarks were made about how the arrival of Turkish General Nuru Pasha's army in Azerbaijan and Dagestan in 1918 prevented the complete annihilation of the local Muslim population. Garagoyunlu also reminded attendees of the displacement of more than 1.5 million Azerbaijanis from Western Azerbaijan, now the territory of Armenia, since the early 20th century.

Prominent speakers at the event included writer Sabir Rustamkhanli, historian Nazif Ismailov, Turkish MP Shamil Ayrim, and others. Uzbek parliamentarians also actively participated in the discussions.

The conference, organized by the Azerbaijani-Turkish House in Tashkent, concluded with the adoption of a resolution calling for the unification of Turkic efforts to combat Armenian Turkophobia and nationalism.