News.az (16 December 2025)

Abulfaz BABAZADEH
 

Recently, Baku hosted the third international conference, titled “Cultural Heritage and the Right to Return,” which brought together around 200 experts, diplomats, and researchers from more than 60 countries. The conference’s main conclusion was clear and unequivocal: the issue of returning Azerbaijanis and restoring their cultural heritage is not merely about the past—it is about shaping the future of the South Caucasus.

Immediately after the forum, we spoke with Polish political scientist Jakub Korejba, a representative of the Ankara Center for Eurasian Studies (AVIM). In an unvarnished conversation, we discussed selective European “morality,” the mechanisms used to construct the image of a “victim country,” the cost of lobbying, and why Azerbaijan’s growing influence is breaking familiar patterns of silence. This is not a discussion about pity, but about a reality in which the right of return represents a political and civilizational test for achieving sustainable peace.

– Jakub, why does Europe so consistently defend the right of return for certain communities, yet for decades has effectively ignored the centuries-long history of the expulsion of Azerbaijanis from the territory of present-day Armenia? Is this about gaps in knowledge, or a conscious choice?

To read the rest of the article, please click: https://news.az/news/-jakub-korejba-azerbaijanis-right-to-return-to-armenia-must-be-part-of-global-agenda-interview