Twenty fourth anniversary of the last deportation of Azerbaijanis from Armenia

There will be 24-th anniversary of the mass deportation of Azerbaijanis, who live  in Armenia. The first refugees from Armenia appeared in Azerbaijan in April 1987. Peak deportation of Azerbaijanis from Armenia took place in November-December 1988. This process took place against the aggressive aspirations of the Armenian separatists of  Nagorno Karabakh Autonomous Region of Azerbaijan, and blocking the activities of the national government with the connivance of the union leadership. As a result of deportation from their native lands in Armenia, more than 200,000 Azerbaijanis living in 172's settlements in the territory covering  8000 square kilometers, were deported. 

As a result of expulsion of civilians 216 Azerbaijanis (facts taken from the investigation materials Interior Ministry) were killed; 41 of them were killed by beatings, heads of two were cut off, 11 people  were burned to death, one was hanged, 29 people were crushed by vehicles, 49 were frozen at the border crossing, eight were  missing, one was killed by a current, 10 people died of heart attacks and so on. Of the total number of victims there are 57 women and 23 children.

In total, as a result of ethnic cleansing conducted by the Armenian authorities in the XX century, was expelled from Armenia 1 million Azerbaijanis. Almost all of them live now  in Azerbaijan.

Before the 19th century, the majority of population on the territory of modern Armenia, were Azerbaijanis. Beginning since 1828, the mass migration of Armenians to the Caucasus from Turkey and  Iran. In the same year,  on the results of the Russian-Persian war was signed Turkmenchay Treaty, and Azerbaijan was divided between Persia and Russia. Territory of Irevan khanate, which was under the control of Russia, was populated by Armenians, and in 1918 in these lands was established the Armenian Republic, and later the Armenian SSR.

During  the  Soviet times,  there were several waves of deportation of Azerbaijanis from Armenia. The largest of them was in 1948-53. Then more than half a million Azerbaijanis were driven from their homes. This action was carried out by Stalin at the beginning of the "cold war" with the West. Armenia bordered with Turkey, a reliable ally of the West, on the southern flank of NATO to create then.

According to the Soviet strategists, Azerbaijani population would "help  the Turks."

On the other hand, the Armenians used the situation to expel the Azerbaijanis, and settling their land  by the representatives of Diaspora from the Middle East.

In 1988-89 the ethnic cleansing of Azerbaijanis  from Armenia completed.—03D06--