Hearings on toponyms of Western Azerbaijan takes place in Milli Majlis
By Roya Valiyeva, AZERNEWS
Hearings on the toponyms of Western Azerbaijan took place in Milli Majlis on October 31. The issue was discussed at the meeting of the Committee on Regional Affairs of the Parliament, Azernews reports.
Chairman and members of the Committee, as well as the President of ANAS, Chairman of the Commission on Toponymy at Milli Majlis, academician Isa Habibeyli, Chairman of the Board of the Community of Western Azerbaijan, and MP for Philology, attended the event. Public hearings on "Toponyms of Western Azerbaijan: from distortion of history to restoration of justice" with the participation of Dr Aziz Alakbarli.
The president of ANAS and chairman of the Commission on Toponymy at Milli Majlis said that "During the Soviet period, 663 toponyms belonging to Azerbaijan were changed."
President Ilham Aliyev has put a completely new reality before our country with the Concept of Return of Western Azerbaijan. With this concept, authored by the head of our state, he has once again proved that he is a resolute and patriotic leader.
The academician drew attention to the fact that 663 toponyms belonging to Azerbaijan were renamed during Soviet times. This means genocide of Azerbaijani toponyms.
"This process first started in 1924, and the city of Gyumri in tsarist Russia was first called Alexandropol and then Leninakan. In 1935, 76 places of residence were renamed by the Supreme Council of Armenia. In 1946, this process reached its climax. It was a complete cancellation of Azerbaijani toponyms," the academician said.
Isa Habibeyli added that after the forced expulsion of Azerbaijanis from their historical lands in 1988-1991, it was decided to change 90 toponyms.
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