27 Azerbaijani families returned to Kalbajar
113 members of Azerbaijani families who fled the city during the Karabakh conflict have returned to Kalbajar. The total number of families permanently residing in Kalbajar has reached 162.
As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," Azerbaijani Facebook users* considered the return of their compatriots to Karabakh as a restoration of historical justice, but noted the importance of creating living conditions there. Armenian users of the social network expressed doubt that the Karabakh issue has been finally resolved.
Another group of displaced persons, consisting of 27 families (113 people), temporarily living in dormitories, sanatoriums, and administrative buildings in various regions of the republic, arrived in the city of Kalbajar on April 2. This is the sixth resettlement to the city, according to Azertaj.
Internally displaced persons (IDPs) living in a lyceum dormitory in Baku complained about living conditions. More than 30 families from the Zangelan and Jabrayil districts were resettled in the building. The "Caucasian Knot" published a photo report by Aziz Karimov, "Dorm for IDPs from the Karabakh conflict zone in Baku".
The families resettled in Kalbajar were given the keys to their apartments. They will permanently reside in the city's first residential area. Taking this stage into account, the number of families permanently residing in Kalbajar has reached 162 (680 people).
Residents noted that while they were forced to leave their homes under difficult conditions on April 2, 1993, they returned to Kalbajar 33 years later, on the same calendar day.
Representatives of the Special Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the Kalbajar District, the Reconstruction, Construction, and Management Service in the Kalbajar District, and the State Committee for Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons attended the ceremony organized in connection with the resettlement of residents to the first residential area of the city of Kalbajar, Day.az reported.
As a reminder, on September 19-20, 2023, Azerbaijan conducted 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 IDPs 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 "The Beginning and End of the Unrecognized Republic of Artsakh".
Earlier, Azerbaijani IDPs complained about the difficulties of returning to Karabakh. In particular, they noted a shortage of jobs in Fizuli. People are seeking opportunities to return to their hometowns, but property issues in the territories now under Azerbaijani control have not yet been resolved, the displaced persons noted.
Azerbaijani analysts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" pointed out that simply providing housing for IDPs returning to their towns is not enough. The authorities must create jobs and build infrastructure, they emphasized.