Azerbaijan registers over 100,000 for ‘resettlement’ in Armenia, ex-ombudsman warns

Azerbaijan has officially completed the registration of more than 100,000 individuals for potential “resettlement” in Armenia, former Armenian Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan warns.

In a social media post on Wednesday, Tatoyan, who currently heads the Tatoyan Foundation, said that the registration process is ongoing, with 250-300 people daily approaching the office of the Western Azerbaijan Community to voluntarily sign up.

He asserts the initiative is part of Baku’s “Western Azerbaijan” irredentist program, which refers to the entire territory of present-day Armenia.

“The program’s ultimate goal is to drastically alter Armenia’s demographics to facilitate its final capture,” the ex-ombudsman wrote.

A key concern raised is that the registration is not limited to those who left Armenia between 1988-1991 but also extends to their descendants and those “displaced” earlier.

As evidence, Tatoyan cited Azerbaijani authorities issuing official IDs that list a person’s place of origin as “Western Azerbaijan,” specifically naming towns within modern-day Armenia.

He warned that Azerbaijan’s expansionist policy continues unabated, facilitated by what he described as a government in Armenia that “prioritizes its own political survival over national interests”.