Another group of residents leave for Vangli, Hasanriz villages in Aghdara

As part of the “Great Return” programme, another group of formerly internally displaced persons (IDPs) is returning on November 20 to the villages of Vangli and Hasanriz in Azerbaijan’s Aghdara district.

Four families comprising 11 people are being resettled in the village of Vangli, while 23 families totalling 93 people are returning to Hasanriz, Caliber.Az reports per local media.

Residents returning to their native lands expressed gratitude to President Ilham Aliyev and First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva for the comprehensive state support.

The program gained momentum after Azerbaijan’s military successes in the 44-day war of 2020, which saw the liberation of a significant portion of occupied land, and the September 19–20, 2023 anti-terrorist operation that restored full sovereignty over the region.

These events enabled the safe return of IDPs to their ancestral lands, reversing the effects of occupation, which included the destruction of villages, cultural sites (e.g., dozens of mosques), and infrastructure.

By Sabina Mammadli