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Azerbaijani-Canadians march in downtown Toronto rally

Thousands of Azerbaijani-Canadians marched in a downtown rally Sunday, protesting the occupation of Armenian armed forces on their territory following decades of war between the two countries.

Around 2,500 showed up to walk in the protest that began at Yonge and College streets and ended at Nathan Phillips Square.

Azerbaijan and Armenia sit side by side, just east of Turkey and have been at war since 1988, with conflicts arising when the Soviet Union collapsed.

These disagreements are focused on land disputes over several territories, including the nation of Nagorno-Karabakh. It’s located in Azerbaijan, but many Armenian ethnic groups reside there.

The Azerbaijani community is calling for the return of land rights to all territories occupied by Armenia, including Nagorno-Karabakh which claimed independence in 1992.

Sunday’s protest was focused on advocating for the removal of Armenian armed forces that have occupied parts of Azerbaijan during decades of war between the countries.

Despite a second attempt at a ceasefire, the countries traded accusations Sunday night of violating the new truce in their conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh.

The latest truce, which was announced Saturday and took force at midnight, was the second attempt to establish a ceasefire since heavy fighting there broke out on Sept. 27. The fighting has killed hundreds.