February 24, 2025staff newsSalma Waheedi co-authors policy paper on displaced Armenians’ right of return to Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh)
Program Executive Director Salma Waheedi joins Yeghia Tashjian, Nareg Seferian, and Thomas Becker to present a framework for the right of return for displaced Armenians to Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), in a policy paper published by the Aram Manoukian Institute for Strategic Planning.
In February, 2025, Salma Waheedi, Program Executive Director and Lecturer on Law, joined Yeghia Tashjian, Regional and International Affairs Cluster Coordinator for the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs at the American University of Beirut, Nareg Seferian, Visiting Assistant Professor of Government and Foreign Affairs at Hampden-Sydney College, and Thomas Becker, Legal and Policy Director at the University Network for Human Rights to present a framework for the right of return of displaced ethnic Armenians from Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh).
The policy paper, “Right of Return of the Armenians of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh),” published by the Aram Manoukian Institute for Strategic Planning, examines the forced deportation of the ethnic Armenians of Artsakh by Azerbaijan, defining it as ethnic cleansing. The authors conclude that Azerbaijan’s systematic attacks, forced displacement, and destruction of cultural heritage in Artsakh constituted elements of a premeditated campaign to expel ethnic Armenians, triggering international legal obligations, including a sustainable right of return.
The paper offers actionable recommendations for the US government to support Artsakh Armenians’ right of return, including securing international guarantees, advocating for the preservation of Armenian cultural sites, and holding Azerbaijani officials accountable for war crimes. It emphasizes the necessity of sustained international engagement, legal mechanisms and Armenian government support to ensure the dignity, security and cultural legacy of displaced ethnic Armenians, ultimately laying the groundwork for a just resolution and enduring peace in the region.