Great Return: Another 30 families resettle in Azerbaijan's Khojavand district PHOTO

Another group of former internally displaced persons (IDPs) have returned to the villages of Girmizi Bazar and Sos in Azerbaijan’s Khojavand district as part of the country’s ongoing Great Return program.

At this stage, 20 families comprising 71 people have returned to Girmizi Bazar, while 10 families consisting of 42 people resettled in Sos, Caliber.Az reports per local media.

The returning residents expressed gratitude to President Ilham Aliyev and First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva for the comprehensive state support, and to the Azerbaijani army for liberating their native lands from occupation.

These families had previously been living temporarily in various regions of the country, mainly in dormitories, sanatoriums, and administrative buildings.

Launched in 2022, Azerbaijan’s Great Return program aims to resettle approximately 140,000 IDPs by 2026 in territories liberated during the 2020 Karabakh war. The initiative includes the reconstruction of 100 settlements with new housing, schools, hospitals, and infrastructure. Between 2020 and 2023, more than $4.6 billion was allocated to the program, with total investments projected to reach $17.6 billion by 2030.

The second phase of the Great Return, scheduled for 2026–2040, envisions the full restoration and reintegration of all liberated territories.

By Sabina Mammadli