Until 1441, when the Armenian religious see was moved to the Etchmiadzin area near Yerevan, today's Hay people did not settle and live in this geography.
Modern.az reports that this was stated by MP Aziz Alakbarli, chairman of the Western Azerbaijan Community, during his speech at the event titled "Return to Western Azerbaijan: Restoration of Historical Justice and Human Rights" dedicated to International Refugee Day.
He noted that the mass resettlement of Armenians to these territories began after the first quarter of the 19th century:
"Since then, the ethnic cleansing of our compatriots in the territory of Western Azerbaijan has started. The expulsion of Azerbaijanis, the local people in Western Azerbaijan, has been a long and painful process characterized by systematic efforts of state bodies to use violence, commit massacres, other crimes against humanity, and gross violations of human rights. This violent process has been repeated throughout history, taking a brutal form, especially in 1905-1906, 1918-1921, 1948-1953, and 1987-1991. As a result, today not a single Azerbaijani lives in Armenia."
