Western Azerbaijan is an
irredentist political concept that is used in the
Republic of Azerbaijan mostly to refer to the territory of the
Republic of Armenia. Azerbaijani statements claim that the territory of the modern Armenian republic were lands that once belonged to Azerbaijanis. Its claims are primarily hinged over the contention that the current Armenian territory was under the rule of various Turkic tribes, empires and
khanates from the late medieval period until the
Treaty of Turkmenchay signed after the
Russo-Persian War, 1826-1828. The concept has received official sanction by the government of Azerbaijan, and has been used by its current president,
Ilham Aliyev, who has repeatedly stated that the territory of Armenia is a part of "ancient
Turk and Azerbaijani land."