International Scientific Conference on "Ethnic Deportations: Historical and Contemporary Period" was held online at Sumgayit State University on December 17. Director of the Institute of Caucasus Studies of ANAS, corresponding member of ANAS, MP Musa Gasimli, and other historians from Turkey, Ukraine, Germany, Russia, Poland and higher education institutions of our country took part in the scientific conference moderated by the rector of the university Elkhan Huseynov.

The conference opened by the rector of the university, Professor Elkhan Huseynov, who greeted the guests and expressed his pleasure to see them. He said that Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev erected a monument in the hearts of every Azerbaijani with the Great Victory, of which he was the architect. Because of the great political, economic and diplomatic successes achieved during the presidency of President Ilham Aliyev in Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan"s growing international prestige, the 44-day war resulted in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, our most painful and only problem, and the liberation of our occupied lands from the clutches of the hated enemy. Speaking about the importance of the conference, the rector said that throughout history, Armenians have repeatedly committed massacres against Azerbaijanis. The policy of ethnic cleansing, genocide and aggression purposefully pursued by Armenian nationalists against our people in the last two centuries constitutes a very painful period in the history of Azerbaijan, full of tragedies, including bloody events. The main goal of this nationalist-chauvinist policy was to create a "Greater Armenia" state invented by Armenians in the ancient territories of Azerbaijan by expelling Azerbaijanis from their historical lands. Over the past 200 years, the people of Azerbaijan have been subjected to the policy of ethnic cleansing, genocide and aggression by Armenian nationalists, expelled from their historical lands and become refugees and internally displaced persons. Resistance to the policy of ethnic cleansing, genocide and aggression against our people was organized after the national leader Heydar Aliyev came to power. On December 18, 1997, President of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev signed a decree "On the mass deportation of Azerbaijanis from the historical and ethnic lands of the Armenian SSR in 1948-1953." This historical document envisages a comprehensive study of the mass deportation of Azerbaijanis from the historical and ethnic lands of the Armenian SSR, a legal and political assessment of this historic crime against the Azerbaijani people at the Armenian state level and the establishment of a state commission to inform the international community. The international scientific conference held by Sumgayit State University is dedicated to the problem of "Ethnic Deportations: historical and contemporary period", which is extremely relevant for both world history and the history of Azerbaijan.

The rector said that due to the current situation, the university successfully organizes national and international events and conferences in all scientific directions, holds joint discussions, and our international cooperation is expanding year by year. The rector wished success to the conference.

Afterwards the speakers delivered speech in the conference: Director of the Institute of Caucasus Studies, corresponding member of ANAS, MP Musa Gasimli-"Deportation of Azerbaijanis from Armenia: from history to the present", professor of Gazi University of Turkey Salih Shahin Hasan - "A brief assessment of forced migration in the world", Professor Darius Gozef Popek, University of Reszskow, Poland, - “Ethnic Deportations, purges and genocide in Poland during World War II - selected examples”, Professor Shirkhan Salimov, Head of the Department of History of Azerbaijan and Eastern European Peoples, Sumgayit State University - “Deportation policies from Armenia against Azerbaijani Turks (1948-1953)".

The speakers condemned the policy of aggression and genocide and congratulated the people of Azerbaijan on the historic victory. They said that the bloody crimes and atrocities committed by Armenians against Azerbaijanis from time to time are unparalleled in the world. The Khojaly tragedy alone is the most horrible act of genocide of Armenian chauvinism, an inhuman and unprecedented act of terrorism. The Khojaly genocide is one of the bloodiest pages in the history of Azerbaijan, as well as one of the largest and most brutal war crimes in human history. In fact, the people of Azerbaijan have been subjected to the policy of ethnic cleansing and genocide by Armenian nationalists and chauvinists not only since the end of the twentieth century, but since several hundred years ago. Our people were expelled from their historical lands, became refugees and internally displaced persons, and all this was accompanied by massacres by Armenians. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has given his political support to Azerbaijan from the very beginning. From this point of view, the Azerbaijani-Turkish friendship and brotherhood became stronger and more unshakable during the Great Patriotic War. In fact, it was an embodiment of solidarity.

Executive Secretary Shirkhan Salimov informed about the further work of the conference. He noted that 105 theses from 6 countries were accepted at the conference. Of these, 91 theses were submitted from our republic, 4 theses from Turkey, 7 theses from Russia, 1 thesis from Ukraine and 1 thesis from Poland, 1 thesis from Germany and published in the form of a collection of conference materials.

The conference will last for two days in 4 sections.