Azerbaijan begins resettlement in Khankendi under Great Return program PHOTO

Azerbaijan has begun resettling former internally displaced persons in the city of Khankendi, as part of the government’s Great Return program to territories regained after years of occupation.

Families now returning to Khankendi had previously been living temporarily across different regions of the country, mainly in dormitories, sanatoriums and administrative buildings, Caliber.Az reports per local media.

In the first stage of the resettlement, 36 families — a total of 162 people — are moving to the city. Residents returning to their homes expressed gratitude to President Aliyev and First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva for what they described as comprehensive state support. 

They also thanked the Azerbaijani army, its soldiers and officers, and paid tribute to those killed in the fighting to regain the territories.

“I am happy to be returning to my homeland,” said Khankendi resident Famila Valiyeva.

Valiyeva said she had left the city 33 years ago and had longed to return. “I thank President Ilham Aliyev for creating the conditions for our return to our homeland,” she said, adding that she had been allocated a one-room apartment.

“May Allah rest the souls of the martyrs and grant health to the veterans. Praise be to Allah for this day,” she said.

Azerbaijan has been accelerating the return of former displaced people to areas brought back under its control, as part of broader reconstruction and resettlement efforts. Khankendi is among the locations included in the initial phase of the programme, officials said.

By Aghakazim Guliyev