Great Return: Azerbaijan's Khojaly village of Khanabad accepts first returning residents Photo

The first group of former internally displaced persons (IDPs) who left for Khanabad village in Azerbaijan's Khojaly district has arrived in Khojaly as part of Azerbaijan’s Great Return programme. 

As many as 38 families, comprising 154 people, are initially resettling in the village, Caliber.Az reports per local media.

The families who arrived in Khojaly were met by staff from the Special Representative of the President of Azerbaijan in Khankandi, the Aghdara and Khojaly districts, the State Committee for Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons, and the Rehabilitation, Construction, and Management Service in Khankandi, the Aghdara and Khojaly districts.

Launched after Azerbaijan’s victory in the 44-day 2020 war, the Great Return initiative aims to resettle over one million formerly internally displaced persons (IDPs) in their ancestral lands by 2030. The programme focuses on rebuilding housing and infrastructure, establishing schools and healthcare facilities, restoring utilities, clearing mines, and promoting sustainable development.

By Sabina Mammadli