On December 5, in his letter to participants of the Second International Conference on "The Right to Return: Advancing Justice for Azerbaijanis Expelled from Armenia," President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev urged Armenia to engage in dialogue with the Western Azerbaijan Community and take concrete actions to restore the rights of Western Azerbaijanis.

Aliyev highlighted that the Armenian government consistently rejected the Community's calls for dialogue and emphasized the need for Armenia to allow a UNESCO fact-finding mission to assess the destruction and distortion of Azerbaijani historical and cultural heritage. He stated, “Armenia has to embark on negotiations with the Community and take tangible steps to restore the fundamental rights of Western Azerbaijanis. In addition, Armenia has to allow a UNESCO fact-finding mission to monitor the situation regarding the destruction and distortion of the historical and cultural heritage of the Azerbaijani people and be open to cooperation in this area."

The Azerbaijani President stressed the significance of international support for the peaceful initiatives of the Western Azerbaijan Community under international law, underlining that these efforts would ensure the safe and dignified return of displaced Azerbaijanis to their ancestral lands. "Initiatives based on the successful implementation of the Concept of Return will make a great contribution to the peaceful, safe, and dignified return of Western Azerbaijanis to their native lands," he noted.

Aliyev expressed confidence in the importance of the conference in raising awareness about the deportations faced by the Azerbaijani people and promoting global dialogue on the right of return and displacement issues. "I am convinced that this international conference… will become an important platform of international dialogue and exchange of views on the right of return and the global problem of displacement shortly."

Addressing obstacles to lasting peace, Aliyev criticized what he called deep-rooted hatred in Armenian society, the myths of a "greater Armenia," constitutional territorial claims against Azerbaijan, and the country’s rapid armament. He remarked that these factors hinder reconciliation, adding, "Unfortunately, the deep-rooted hatred towards our people in Armenian society, the myths of a 'greater Armenia,' the territorial claims against Azerbaijan still embedded in the Armenian Constitution, and the rapid armament of this country hinder the lasting peace between the two countries."

Aliyev rejected claims that the activities of the Western Azerbaijan Community threaten Armenia’s territorial integrity, calling such accusations an attempt to misrepresent the issue. "The goal of the Community is to facilitate a peaceful, safe, and dignified return of our compatriots displaced from Western Azerbaijan to their ancestral lands. This is a purely human rights issue. The fact that Armenia labels the Community’s activities as a threat represents an attempt to distort the true essence of the issue and deny the right of return enshrined in international law," Aliyev concluded.