“Great Return” program gains momentum with jobs, investment and resettlement

More than 10,600 former internally displaced persons have been employed in Azerbaijan’s liberated territories under the government’s “Great Return” program, marking a significant step in the country’s ongoing resettlement and reconstruction efforts in the wider Karabakh region.

A total of 10,623 people have secured employment after returning to the liberated territories, according to data published by the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Population, as Caliber.Az reports.

Of these, 7,915 were hired through job vacancies, 1,828 became self-employed, and 880 established small family farms under state-supported self-sufficiency initiatives.

In addition, 506 participants completed preparatory training courses designed to help returnees integrate into the local labor market and develop new skills.

Special incentives have also been introduced for professionals working in the liberated territories, including a one-time allowance of 600 manats, an additional five days of annual leave, and salary bonuses.

Alongside employment and social reintegration measures, Azerbaijan is expanding investment opportunities in agriculture across the liberated regions. The Ministry of Agriculture has announced its fourth investment tender for the leasing of agricultural land in these territories to private entrepreneurs.

Under the program, land is leased for an initial period of five years. Upon expiry, contracts may be extended for up to 44 years based on compliance with requirements and the results of performance evaluations assessing efficient land use.

Investment proposals are invited across a range of sectors, including crop farming, horticulture, livestock breeding, agritourism and fisheries. Applications are being accepted through the Electronic Agricultural Information System until 18:00 on July 10.

These initiatives are unfolding alongside a steady increase in population return to the liberated territories. According to the State Statistics Committee, more than 84,000 people were residing in the Karabakh and East Zangezur economic regions as of early May this year.

Of that total, 33,270 individuals have returned to their ancestral homes under the first state program on the “Great Return,” reflecting the gradual but ongoing repopulation of areas that were previously displaced.

As reconstruction continues, officials say the combination of job creation, investment incentives and infrastructure development is aimed at ensuring the long-term sustainability of return settlements and revitalizing economic activity in the liberated territories.

By Nazrin Sadigova