Azerbaijan’s Lachin welcomes 21 more families under Great Return project PHOTO/UPDATED

Another group of residents has successfully relocated to Lachin as part of ongoing resettlement efforts.

A welcome ceremony was held for the new arrivals, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

In this latest phase, 21 families, comprising 65 individuals, have been permanently resettled in Lachin. This marks a significant step in the broader initiative to repopulate the region.

To date, a total of 534 families, amounting to 1,971 people, have been resettled in Lachin. The resettlement program aims to rejuvenate the community and support the returning families in establishing new lives in the region.

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In a heartwarming continuation of their journey back to Azerbaijan’s Lachin, 21 families comprising 65 individuals have returned to the restored city, following the directive of President Ilham Aliyev.

Departing from Garadagh district in Baku, these families join the growing number of former internally displaced persons (IDPs) resettling in Lachin, Caliber.Az reports.

Since the beginning of this initiative, a total of 534 families, encompassing 1,971 individuals, have been granted permanent residence in Lachin. This ongoing resettlement effort marks a significant step towards rebuilding and revitalizing the community, reflecting the commitment to restoring normalcy and prosperity in the region.

The Azerbaijani Army took full control of Lachin city along with the adjacent Zabukh and Sus villages on August 25, 2022.

Earlier, Lachin city was temporarily controlled by the Russian peacekeepers to provide communication between Armenia and the Karabakh region. Under the November 10, 2020, trilateral statement, signed by the Azerbaijani, Armenian and Russian leaders, the city should be handed over to Azerbaijan after the completion of a new road, which would be an alternative to the Lachin road.

Following the completion of the new road bypassing Lachin, Azerbaijan demanded that Armenia clear the unlawfully occupied city and adjacent settlements by August 25, 2022.