According to Azerbaijani official media outlets, particularly Report.az and Azertag.az, the 3rd Festival-Congress titled “Return to Western Azerbaijan” is planned to be held on 18–19 June in the Ordubad District of the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic (https://report.az/en/domestic-politics/nakhchivan-to-host-return-to-western-azerbaijan-event). The event is being organized through the joint efforts of the Ministry of Science and Education of Azerbaijan, the Office of the Presidential Plenipotentiary Representative in Nakhichevan, Nakhichevan State University, and the “Western Azerbaijan Community” organization.

During the congress component of the event, scholars, researchers, and public figures are expected to present reports on the realities of “Western Azerbaijan,” its historical heritage, and the prospects of “return.” Within the cultural section of the festival, exhibitions will be organized to reflect the “national and cultural values” of “Western Azerbaijan.” As noted, this is already the third event of its kind: the first was held in 2023 in the city of Nakhichevan, and the second in 2024 in Batabat.

The choice of Ordubad for the third festival is not accidental and carries a strategic-political subtext. Ordubad is the easternmost district of Nakhichevan, directly bordering the Syunik Province of the Republic of Armenia, particularly the Meghri area, as well as Iran. This is the territory through which Azerbaijan seeks to advance its narrative of the “Zangezur Corridor.” The Azerbaijani news website Azertag.az itself states that the festival will be held in the ancient and historically rich city of Ordubad, located in the Zangezur Corridor (https://azertag.az/xeber/naxchivan_iii_qerbi_azerbaycana_qayidis_festival_konqresine_ev_sahibliyi_edecek-4136855).

By organizing such a festival in Ordubad, Azerbaijan is creating a visible and symbolic link between Nakhichevan and Syunik, attempting to present the latter as a “historically Azerbaijani settlement.” The 3rd “Return to Western Azerbaijan” Festival-Congress to be held in Ordubad is yet another indication that Azerbaijan has not abandoned its claims against the territorial and cultural integrity of the Republic of Armenia.