82 Azerbaijani families have returned to the former Karabakh conflict zone.
Today, 368 members of Azerbaijani families who fled during the Karabakh conflict returned to seven villages in the Aghdere, Khojavend, and Jabrayil districts.
As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," Azerbaijanis from Karabakh settlements were forced to flee their homes after the start of the First Karabakh War. The return of displaced persons began after Azerbaijan took control of these territories. By March 11, 7,541 families (30,261 people) had returned to 41 settlements in the former Karabakh conflict zone.
Facebook* users debated the return of Azerbaijani families to Karabakh. In order for Azerbaijanis to return, demining must be carried out, and houses and infrastructure must be built, Azerbaijani users pointed out, while calling the return of families a restoration of justice. Many settlements in Karabakh were historically Armenian, Armenian users objected.
Today, 41 families (201 people) of former internally displaced persons were sent to five villages in the Aghdere region, APA reports.
According to the publication, three families (13 people) were resettled to the village of Chyldyran, 21 families (108 people) to the village of Ashagi Oratag, seven families (34 people) to the village of Heyvali, four families (17 people) to the village of Chapar, and six families (29 people) to the village of Hasanriz.
In addition, 11 families (36 people) were resettled to the village of Khojavend in the Khojavend region, and 30 families (131 people) to the village of Khorovlu in the Jabrayil region. people).
Now we will live in our village.
"Today, at 46, I'm returning there with my family. Now we'll live in our village," Report quotes him as saying.
The Jabrayil district came under Azerbaijani control following the 44-day Karabakh War in 2020. President Ilham Aliyev announced on October 4, 2020 that Azerbaijani troops had occupied the city of Jabrayil (the Armenian name is Jrakan) and several villages, including Khorovlu.
As a reminder, by February 23, 2026, 787 families (3,011 people) had returned to nine villages in the Aghdere region (the Armenian name for Aghdere is Martakert), including Ashagi Oratag, Chyldyran, Chapar, and Heyvali. They were instructed on mine safety and given relevant informational booklets.
Internally displaced persons (IDPs) living in a lyceum dormitory in Baku complained about their living conditions. More than 30 families from the Zangelan and Jabrayil districts were housed in the building. The "Caucasian Knot" published a photo report by Aziz Karimov, "Dorm for internally displaced persons from the Karabakh conflict zone in Baku".
On September 19-20, 2023, Azerbaijan carried out large-scale military operations and took control of the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, which began a mass exodus of the Armenian population. By October 7, 2023, 100,632 internally displaced persons from Nagorno-Karabakh had arrived in Armenia, and by September 2024, only 14 Armenians remained in the region. The "Caucasian Knot" has prepared a report entitled "The Beginning and End of the Unrecognized Republic of Artsakh".
Earlier, in October 2022, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated that demining the territories in the former Karabakh conflict zone would take 30 years. He estimated the cost at $25 billion. In May 2024, the European Union, which had allocated €10 million to Azerbaijan for mine clearance since 2020, agreed to increase its financial assistance for mine clearance in the former Karabakh conflict zone to €14 million.
Azerbaijani IDPs complained about the difficulties of returning to Karabakh. In particular, they noted a shortage of jobs in Fuzuli. People are seeking opportunities to return to their homelands, but property issues in the territories under Azerbaijani control have not yet been resolved, the IDPs noted.
Azerbaijani analysts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" indicated that simply providing housing to IDPs returning to their cities is not enough. Authorities must create jobs and build infrastructure, they stressed.