Great Return: 13 more families return to Aghdam's Khidirli Bringing total to 568

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