Azerbaijan Brings Controversial ‘Western Azerbaijan’ Campaign to Washington, D.C., With Conference at U.S. Congress

Azerbaijan’s controversial “Western Azerbaijan” campaign is being brought to Washington, D.C., today, June 24, 2026, through a conference organized by the Baku Initiative Group, an organization that has actively promoted the narrative internationally.

According to the organizers, the event will focus on what they describe as the displacement of Azerbaijanis from present-day Armenia and their claimed right to return.

The conference is expected to bring together international law experts, human rights advocates, representatives of diaspora organizations, civil society groups, and members of communities affected by conflict.

The gathering comes as Azerbaijan continues to advance the state-backed concept of “Western Azerbaijan”—a term rejected by Armenia and many analysts as a revisionist and expansionist political project that seeks to portray the entire territory of the Republic of Armenia as historically Azerbaijani land.

Organizers say discussions will center on the return of so-called “Western Azerbaijanis” to Armenia, allegations concerning Azerbaijani cultural heritage, and the role of international legal mechanisms in addressing historical grievances. The Baku Initiative Group has described the event as the first conference of its kind on the issue to be held at the U.S. Congress.

Armenian officials and experts have repeatedly warned that the “Western Azerbaijan” narrative goes beyond historical debate and serves as a political tool to challenge Armenia’s territorial integrity. Critics argue that the campaign has intensified following Azerbaijan’s military takeover of Nagorno-Karabakh in 2023, which resulted in the forced displacement of more than 120,000 ethnic Armenians from their ancestral homeland.

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