Preparations are underway for the return of more than 300,000 Azerbaijanis to Armenia (Western Azerbaijan – ed.).
“Elchi” reports with reference to Publika.az that this claim was made by Armenian political scientist Artur Khachikyan.
Khachikyan put forward ideas regarding the areas where the returning Azerbaijanis would most likely settle.
“If we assume that 300,000 Azerbaijanis will return initially – it is also said that their number has increased to 1 million – this means approximately 300 villages. Because the average population of a village in Armenia is 1,000 people. Let’s take one-third of this figure – 100 villages. In which villages will the Azerbaijanis settle? Presumably, they will be settled mostly in the areas where they lived before leaving Armenia in 1988. The villages where Azerbaijanis lived before 1988 are known. They lived compactly, especially in the east of Lake Goycha and in the Zangezur-Gafan region. It is likely that the returning Azerbaijanis will mainly settle in these regions,” he said.
The Armenian political scientist claims that the eastern part of Lake Goycha and the Gafan region are of strategic importance for Azerbaijan.
“The eastern part of Lake Goycha is of strategic importance. The Gafan region can also play a role in connecting Nakhchivan to Azerbaijan by land. How can this happen? After the Azerbaijanis settle in these regions, they will raise the issue of these territories being given to Armenians by the Bolsheviks, and then they will resolve this issue, which they call a historical injustice,” the Armenian political scientist claimed.