Great Return: Aghdam's Khidirli residents receive apartment keys to new homes UPDATED

Under the ongoing resettlement initiative, families arriving in the village of Khidirli in Azerbaijan’s Aghdam district have been officially handed the keys to their new homes.

The key handover ceremony was attended by officials from the Special Representation of the President of Azerbaijan in the Aghdam, Fuzuli, and Khojavand districts, alongside representatives from the State Committee for Affairs of Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

At this stage, 13 families, totaling 48 individuals, have returned to the village.

With the inclusion of this latest group, the total number of families resettled in Khidirli has reached 568, accounting for 2,243 people.

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A new group of displaced families has returned to the village of Khidirli in Azerbaijan’s Aghdam district as part of ongoing resettlement efforts.

Some 13 families, totaling 48 individuals, have relocated to the village at this stage, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

With this latest group, the total number of families who have resettled in Khidirli now stands at 568, representing 2,243 people.

During the First Karabakh War in 1993, the Khidirli village, along with large parts of Aghdam, was occupied by Armenian forces, forcing the local Azerbaijani population to flee and become internally displaced persons (IDPs).

Following the 2020 ceasefire agreement between Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Russia, Aghdam district, including Khidirli, was returned to Azerbaijani control on 20 November 2020. The Azerbaijani government immediately launched a large-scale reconstruction and resettlement program known as the Great Return, aimed at enabling former IDPs to return to their ancestral homes in liberated areas.

Khidirli is among the key villages being rebuilt under this program. Phase 1 of the project covers around 170 hectares, with plans to accommodate thousands of returning residents. The reconstruction includes residential housing, schools, kindergartens, service buildings, roads, utilities, and green spaces to ensure modern living standards.

Since March 2025, Azerbaijani authorities have gradually relocated IDP families back to Khidirli. 

By Vafa Guliyeva