The Western Azerbaijan Community is the legal successor of the “Azerbaijan Refugee Society” Association, which has been operating since 1989. On August 3, 2022, the name of the Association was changed to “West Azerbaijan Community”, and the new Charter of the Community was approved. In the community, structures such as Observation, Elders, Intellectuals, Women and Guardians councils, Board of Directors, Control-Inspection Commission, Youth Union, representative offices in foreign countries were created and elections were held.
Since 1989, the organization has been the sole public institution that gathers and preserves facts and documents related to the problems of West Azerbaijani refugees and the circumstances of Azerbaijani families who became refugees between 1987 and 1991. During those years, it was estimated that over 50,000 families, which is around 20,000 households, had suffered losses due to being displaced from West Azerbaijan. These efforts are ongoing. During that time, detailed statistics were collected for each refugee family (first name, last name, patronymic) who were displaced from nearly 300 residential areas in Western Azerbaijan. The organization continues to compile an accurate list of all examples of our historical and cultural heritage in Western Azerbaijan.
The organization is located in a four-story building with a total area of 1280 square meters, located at Gulara Gadirbeyova Street 9, Baku. The building has 23 offices, meeting and conference rooms, as well as various auxiliary rooms. In the building, there are photo booths depicting the activities of the Great Leader Heydar Aliyev, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and the first lady Mehriban Aliyeva, as well as information about prominent intellectuals from Western Azerbaijan, paintings depicting the monuments of Western Azerbaijan, 5 archival maps, video materials presenting the speeches of the Great Leader Heydar Aliyev and President Ilham Aliyev about Western Azerbaijan. Scientific, artistic and journalistic works of scientists and writers from Western Azerbaijan are also exhibited in the building.
The Western Azerbaijan Community is engaged in the protection of the rights of Azerbaijanis expelled from the territory of Armenia. In its activities, the community carries out activities for the return of Azerbaijanis who were forcibly removed from the territory of Armenia and defines the general framework for the goals, principles, preparation and implementation measures of these activities, serves the establishment of justice and peace based on international law, relevant domestic law, and historical facts. The objective of the “Concept of Return” is to ensure the safe and dignified return of Azerbaijanis expelled from the territory of Armenia in a peaceful way.
According to the concept, the community does not accept the injustice committed against Western Azerbaijanis during the past two centuries and rejects the consequences of this injustice. Based on the right of return established in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention on the Status of Refugees and other important international acts, the community declares as its main goal to create conditions for the return of Azerbaijanis expelled from the territory of Armenia to their homeland and ensure their individual and collective rights after returning there.
The main goals and principles of the activity to be implemented with the concept are as follows:
The West Azerbaijan Association is an active and dedicated organization that continues to exert efforts within the legal framework to acquire resources for the successful implementation of the Return Concept.
Management Bodies of Western Azerbaijan Society:
General Assembly – The highest governing body of Western Azerbaijan Society (WAS).
Observation Council – An executive body of the Society that operates in accordance with the Charter. The council consists of the President, Vice President, and members. The President, Vice President, and council members of the Observation Council are appointed and dismissed for a five-year term by General Assembly. The Observation Council is led by Misir Mardanov.
Misir Jumayil oghlu Mardanov (October 3, 1946, Western Azerbaijan, Karvansara, Goyarchin) – a corresponding member of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS) since 2017, Director of ANAS Institute of Mathematics and Mechanics, former Minister of Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Professor.
Executive Committee – Responsible for leading and overseeing the activities of the Society. The Executive Committee consists of the President, three Vice Presidents, and members. The President, Vice Presidents, and committee members of the Executive Committee are appointed and dismissed for a five-year term by General Assembly. The President of the Executive Committee is Aziz Alekberli.
Aziz Yusif oghlu Alekberli (October 5, 1960, West Azerbaijan, Vedi, Qaralar) – Member of the VI Convocation of Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan, member of the Labour and Social Policy, as well as the Culture Committees and the Toponymy Commission of Milli Majlis, director of the “Western Azerbaijan Folklore” department at ANAS Folklore Institute, Doctor of Philosophy in Philology, Associate Professor.
A. Alekberli is the author of more than 500 scientific and journalistic articles, 46 books, including the 10-volume encyclopedic work “the Western Azerbaijan,” and the book “Monuments of the Western Azerbaijan,” published in Azerbaijani, English, Russian, German, and French. The book “Ancient Turkic-Oghuz Homeland – Armenia” was reprinted with mass circulation in Turkey in 2009. Additionally, he has served as editor for more than 100 books, authoring prefaces and acting as a publisher.
Organizational Structure:
Supervision and Inspection Commission – Monitors compliance with the Western Azerbaijan Society Charter and controls financial activities. The commission consists of the President, Vice President, and members. The President, Vice President, and commission members of the Supervision and Inspection Commission are appointed and dismissed for a five-year term by General Assembly. The commission is led by Vahid Novruzov.
Vahid Tapdıq oghlu Novruzov (January 7, 1950, Western Azerbaijan, Allahverdi) – Azerbaijani scholar, Doctor of Economic Sciences, Professor (2000), President of the Chamber of Auditors of the Republic of Azerbaijan (1996-present), full member of the International Ecoenergy Academy.
Council of Elders – A consultative collegial body of the Western Azerbaijan Society. The council consists of the President, two Vice Presidents, and members. The President, Vice Presidents, and council members of the Council of Elders are appointed and dismissed for a five-year term by the Executive Committee. The council is led by Ahliman Amiraslanov.
Ahliman Tapdıq oghlu Amiraslanov (November 17, 1947, Western Azerbaijan, Basarkechar, Zod) – Azerbaijani scholar, public and political figure, surgeon-oncologist, Doctor of Medical Sciences (1984), Professor (1989), Full member of ANAS, the Academic Secretary of the Biological and Medical Sciences Department of ANAS (2007-present).
Council of Intellectuals – A consultative collegial institution within the Western Azerbaijan Society. The council is composed of a President, two Vice Presidents, and members. The President, Vice Presidents, and council members are appointed and relieved of their duties for a five-year term by the Executive Committee. Elkhan Huseynov leads the Council of Intellectuals.
Elkhan Bahadur oghlu Huseynov (January 1, 1948, Azerbaijan, Ganja) – Rector of Sumqayit State University (March 6, 2014 – present), Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Azerbaijan to Turkmenistan (2002–2010), Co-chair of the Association of Azerbaijan and Russian Higher Education Institutions, Professor.
Council of Women – A consultative collegial institution within the Western Azerbaijan Society. The council is composed of a President, two Vice Presidents, and members. The President, Vice Presidents, and council members are appointed and relieved of their duties for a five-year term by the Executive Committee. The Council of Women is led by Məlahət Həsənova.
Məlahət İbrahim qızı Həsənova (April 25, 1958, Western Azerbaijan, Basarkechar, Kichik Mazra) – Member of the Political Council of the New Azerbaijan Party, Head of the Nizami District organization of the New Azerbaijan Party. Deputy of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the II, III, IV, V, and VI convocations. Doctor of Philosophy in History.
Council of Custodians – A consultative collegial institution within the Western Azerbaijan Society. The council is composed of a President, two Vice Presidents, and members. The President, Vice Presidents, and council members are appointed and relieved of their duties for a five-year term by the Executive Committee. The Council of Custodians is led by Murvet Hasanli.
Murvet Tapdiq oghlu Hasanli (November 23, 1970, Western Azerbaijan, Chambarak, Aghbulaq) – President of the “Association of Azerbaijan Poultry Meat, Egg Producers and Exporters”.
Youth Union – A consultative collegial institution within the Western Azerbaijan Society. The union is composed of a President, two Vice Presidents, and members. The President, Vice Presidents, and union members are appointed and relieved of their duties for a five-year term by the Executive Committee. The Youth Union is led by Ramin Mammadov.
Ramin Alamshah oghlu Mammadov (February 17, 1979, Karabakh, Aghdara) – Member of the VI Convocation of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan, former Deputy Chairman of the State Committee on Diaspora Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, member of the New Azerbaijan Party’s Executive Committee, Head of the working group for parliamentary relations between Azerbaijan and Thailand.
Administration – A structure within the Western Azerbaijan Society that ensures the implementation of the authority derived from the Council’s Regulations, as well as an institution that implements organizational, legal and analytical-information provision of the community’s activities. Administration consists of one division, two sectors, a chief adviser, coordinators, and a technical team, totaling 35 employees. The head of the Administration is Galib Gasimov.
Galib Ahmed oghlu Gasimov (March 31, 1978, Western Azerbaijan, Basarkechar, Zod) – Former sector director of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan (2006–2021), Director of the Azerbaijan State Art Gallery (2017–2022), founder and director of “Contemporary Baku” Company (2022-present), founder of “Auction Baku,” Doctor of Philosophy in Art History.
District and Village Councils of the Western Azerbaijan – Consultative collegial institutions operating on public grounds. The Western Azerbaijan Society comprises 22 district councils, which encompasses village councils.
Representatives in Administrative Units of the Republic of Azerbaijan – Individuals who work on a social basis in order to do business with Western Azerbaijanis who are densely populated in districts, cities, urban districts, settlements and villages of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Representatives in Foreign Countries – Established in one or more foreign countries by the decision of the Executive Committee with the purpose of facilitating work with West Azerbaijanis living abroad, promoting their right to return, and obtaining international support for this purpose.
