Azerbaijan to return about 16,000 people to Zangilan by 2026

Azerbaijan is planning to return about 16,000 people to liberated Zangilan by 2026, Vahid Hajiyev, the Azerbaijani president's special representative in Zangilan District, has said.

He made the remarks during an interview with APA.

In the post-occupation period there was an increase in the population. Before the occupation the total population of Zangilan was 34,000. According to current statistics, there are more than 44,000 Zangilan residents in various regions of Azerbaijan, Hajiyev said.

"According to the Great Return strategy for 2022-2026, we plan to return about 16,000 people to different settlements in the Zangilan district. One of them is the city of Zangilan. President Ilham Aliyev has already laid the foundation of a residential complex in the city of Zangilan. Great work is carried out in this direction at the moment", the presidential represenative pointed out.

"In the East Zangezur Economic Region there is a Service for Reconstruction, Construction and Management No. 1, whose activities cover Gubadli, Zangilan and Jabrayil. Having started working as a representative since May, we started work in other villages as well," Hajiyev noted.

He added that he couldn't name these villages yet.

"Because the groundbreaking ceremony hasn't been held yet. In the coming months, the public will be informed about it. But in brief I can say that in Zangilan, Gubadli and Jabrayil districts the design of at least two villages has already been completed and detailed plans have been prepared. This is a very difficult process because we are scrupulous about detailed plans and master plans. The more time spent on planning, the easier it will be to build the villages and manage them. The planning of the next villages is done in Zangilan, Jabrayil, and Gubadli," Hajiyev said.