Azerbaijani families get keys to new homes in Shushakand, Khojaly PHOTO

On December 11, families who moved to the village of Shushakand in Azerbaijan’s Khojaly district were handed the keys to their new homes.

At this stage, 14 families (51 people) have been resettled in Shushakand, Azertac reports.

Officials from ANAMA provided the newcomers with detailed information on the risks of mines and unexploded ordnance, advising them to avoid unfamiliar objects and report any findings to the relevant authorities.

At the key-handover ceremony, Mahmud Afandiyev, Deputy Executive Director of the Service for Reconstruction, Construction, and Management in Khankandi, Aghdara, and Khojaly districts, emphasised that large-scale restoration and reconstruction work in the liberated territories is progressing rapidly. Road access, water, electricity, gas, and other utilities have been fully restored.

Residents received the keys to their homes and happily moved in.

The resettlement process is going on under Azerbaijan's Great Return program, which is a flagship national initiative launched in 2022 to facilitate the safe, dignified, and sustainable return of internally displaced persons (IDPs) to the country's liberated territories, including Karabakh. It represents a cornerstone of post-conflict reconstruction following Azerbaijan's military victory in the 2020 Second Karabakh War, which ended 30 years of Armenian occupation.

The program addresses the displacement of over 1 million Azerbaijanis during the 1990s First Karabakh War and subsequent conflicts, aiming to reverse demographic changes, revive destroyed infrastructure, and foster economic reintegration.

By Khagan Isayev