Great Return: Azerbaijan resettles former IDP families in Shukurbayli village PHOTO/UPDATED

Families of former internally displaced persons have been presented with the keys to their new homes in the village of Shukurbayli in Azerbaijan’s Jabrayil district. 

The handover ceremony followed a meeting with resettled families, during which officials from the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA) provided safety briefings on the risks posed by landmines and unexploded ordnance. Residents were advised to avoid unknown objects and report any suspicious findings to the relevant authorities, Caliber.Az reports via local media. 

Officials from the Special Representative’s Office of the President of Azerbaijan in the Jabrayil, Gubadli, and Zangilan districts, as well as the State Committee for Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons, attended the ceremony. The families subsequently received the keys and moved into their homes.

Authorities said the latest resettlement phase covers 45 families, comprising 196 people, who had previously been living in temporary accommodation, including dormitories, sanatoriums, camps, unfinished buildings, and administrative facilities in various parts of the country.

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Azerbaijan continues the implementation of its “Great Return” programme aimed at resettling former internally displaced persons to territories liberated from occupation.

According to the State Committee for Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons, 45 families, comprising 196 people, left temporary accommodation facilities across the country on June 17 to return to the village of Shukurbayli in the Jabrayil district, Caliber.Az reports. 

The families had been living in dormitories, sanatoriums, and administrative buildings in various regions of Azerbaijan since being displaced.

Returning residents expressed gratitude to President Ilham Aliyev and First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva for extensive state support and assistance during the relocation process.

By Sabina Mammadli