Azerbaijan resettles over 50,000 in Karabakh, East Zangezur regions

As of early July, more than 50,000 people are residing in Azerbaijan’s Karabakh and East Zangezur economic regions, according to figures released by the State Statistics Committee.

The data shows that 3,839 families—comprising approximately 15,300 individuals—have returned to their native homes under the government’s "Great Return" program, aimed at repopulating territories liberated from Armenian occupation, Caliber.Az reports.

In addition to the returnees, around 34,000 people, including their family members, are currently living temporarily in these areas due to ongoing reconstruction efforts and professional assignments.

The Committee also noted that when including students enrolled at Karabakh University in Khankendi, the total population in the liberated territories reaches 50,484.

Following the end of the occupation in November 2020 and the restoration of territorial integrity, Azerbaijan launched the Great Return program as a comprehensive, state-led effort to facilitate the safe and dignified return of internally displaced persons (IDPs) to their revitalised ancestral lands. By 2026, the first phase targets the resettlement of 140,000 IDPs across 100 settlements, with a long-term goal of full restoration by 2040.

By Sabina Mammadli