Belarus media: How Azerbaijan is restoring its lands liberated from occupation

The Belarusian newspaper Belarus Segodnya has published a report, which tells about the large-scale projects implemented by Azerbaijan to restore the liberated territories. Report introduces the article to readers.

High-speed highways, airports, smart villages, green energy - the Republic of Azerbaijan on the territory of Karabakh is not only actively implementing the Great Return program, but is striving to make the region the most advanced part of the country. The journalists of Belarus Segodnya visited these areas to see how one of the most large-scale post-war projects is being carried out today.

Shusha. City above the abyss

The journey from Fuzuli to the city of Shusha takes about an hour. The car winds along the mountain serpentine, rising higher and higher until it reaches 1,368 meters above sea level. The city is located on a rock, in the foothills of the Karabakh ridge. In Shusha, we meet Samaya Mammadova, the head of the public relations and information support department of one of the city departments. She moved to this part of the country to contribute to the reconstruction of the region:

"Shusha is my love. It is difficult to convey this feeling in words. When I need to leave the city, every time I start to feel sad, as if I am leaving something very important here," she said.

Samaya Mammadova tells about each of the most important historical buildings of the city: "Shusha is a special place for Azerbaijan. It is called the spiritual center of the country, famous cultural figures of Azerbaijan lived here. Among them is the famous poet and statesman Molla Panah Vagif. His mausoleum, built in 1980s, at the direction of the national leader Heydar Aliyev, was destroyed during military operations. However, today it has been carefully restored thanks to the personal initiative of Ilham Aliyev. The opening of the renovated memorial took place with the direct participation of the head of the Azerbaijani state."

Not far from the mausoleum there is another place, without which it is impossible to imagine Shusha - Jidir Duzu. This empty space in the form of a meadow, located on the outskirts of the city, has a sacred meaning for all Azerbaijanis. The view of the rocky Karabakh mountains, which opens from this place, is just breathtaking. There used to be horse races here. Fierce fighting followed. Today people come here in search of answers to internal questions. At this point, time seems to freeze: the sounds do not reach, leaving all human problems somewhere outside. Samaya Mammadova says that today local residents have the opportunity to come here to meditate in silence or take part in city events.

During a tour of the settlement under construction, a representative of the city administration emphasizes that the restoration of Shusha is taking into account the historical significance of the city:

“Here there will be a new school for 960 students, a hospital is being built there, a mosque has been restored. By the end of the year we expect the first resettlement. At the moment, the state is building 23 houses with 450 apartments for the indigenous Shusha residents who were forced to leave. As a result of the first stage of resettlement, we expect 1,500 inhabitants," says Mammadova.

She notes that according to the development plan in Shusha, houses can only be up to 5 floors and of exceptionally excellent quality: “The work that is carried out in the Karabakh region is under the control of our President. And everything - from architectural projects to the materials used - is at the highest level.”

Lachin. A dream that came true

“I was born here and had to return here, I lived for this day,” says Rauf Shakhsuvarov, standing at a noisy intersection in the center of Lachin. In this settlement, located in a mountainous area on the border with Armenia, construction work is also actively underway today. A local resident says that he took part in two Azerbaijani wars, but returned to his hometown to repay his debt to Lachin as an actor and as a director: “With my profession, I can live in any part of Azerbaijan, but for me the best place is where I was born.”

76-year-old Vahid Lachili, seeing us talking over the noise of the trucks, also hastens to share his happiness with a wide smile on his face. There are words of gratitude to the President of Azerbaijan and recognition of how important it is to step to your native land.

What is it like to return to your hometown after 30 years as a refugee? We are talking about this with Oqtay Mammadov, a representative of the Lachin city administration. He recalls his having to leave his house in 1992. He gathered the children, wife, essentials and left the city by car. They left virtually all their belongings in Lachin. And then it was hard. But Oqtay Mammadov did not give up. Looking at the glass of tea that stands on the table in front of him, he says that all the refugees from Lachin believed that the day when they would be reunited in their hometown would definitely come: “Former residents of Lachin now live in 42 Azerbaijani cities, this is 3840 families. 223 families have already returned to Lachin - 793 people."

After the third glass of tea we learn that today another 24 refugee families will return to the city. Especially for this occasion, the local administration organized a gala dinner with the presentation of keys to new houses built at the expense of the state, as well as a theatrical performance. During our conversation in the city square that has a stunning view of the mountains, Oqtay Mammadov stares at the road: a convoy of buses is about to appear.

New residents are welcome here. Although you can’t call them new: despite 30 years of separation, they are still close. It was difficult for an outside observer to contain his emotions, seeing with what warmth the former neighbors greeted each other. The displaced people getting off the bus with tears in their eyes hugged those who had already moved to Lachin and hurried to take pictures with each other and exchange news. Those who were forced to leave at the start of the war, as well as their children and even grandchildren, arrived in the city.

Firuza Khasanova, 77, is one of those who remembers the city before the war. She walks slowly from the bus to the marquee where the city dinner is planned. But in every step, you feel confidence. The woman is tired after a hot (+38 in the shade) 10-hour off-road journey, but is in a hurry to share her joy with journalists: “We are happy to return home to this land. We have dreamed about this all our lives. We really need this peace.”

The Lachin evening of the meeting of the settlers proceeds smoothly and measuredly. To the applause of their neighbors, the heads of the family approach the city administration representatives to receive the keys to their new home. And this was the moment when many Azerbaijani men could barely hold back tears of joy. Along with the keys, each resident received a special memo from Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA). The demining of the region continues, security comes first.

Zangilan. Smart village

According to the plans of the Azerbaijani government, Karabakh should become a zone of green energy and advanced technologies. To see how this is implemented in practice, we visited one of the villages in the Zangilan region. The region is expected to become a center of agricultural innovation. One of the innovations is the installation of irrigation systems in the fields and gardens on the outskirts of the village. Stations for the control of agricultural pests have also been installed there. The uniqueness of the settlement is that solar energy, wind energy and hydroelectric power stations will be used for its life support.

The villages of Agali-I, II and III of the Zangilan region were built according to the smart system. And this is not the same as, for example, a smart home. Zaka Guluyev, an employee of the Special Representative Office of the President of Azerbaijan in Zangilan, Gubadli and Jabrayil, explains that this concept involves ensuring the modern quality of life for people through the use of innovative technologies, using all the local resources.

At first glance, the project of the village is very reminiscent of a Belarusian agricultural town, only with an Azerbaijani flavor.

"Some 200 houses have already been built here, 86 families have moved. Each house has solar panels. There is a school, a kindergarten. Plans are to expand the village further," says Guluyev.

In one of these smart villages, we met Rahila Almuradova. Before the war, her job was to provide telephone communications: "It was a great time. We lived very happily here. But then the war began."

The woman says that she was then 35 years old. The family had to cross the Araz River to get to Iran, and from there again move to Azerbaijan. The children were rescued. However, her brother, who went to fight as a volunteer, died in the war. His portrait hangs in the house in the most prominent place. And even after 30 years, her family does not know what exactly happened to their relative.

Today, she lives in a new house with her daughter and grandchildren. And although the village is smart, Rahila uses the good old methods of growing vegetables and fruits on her plot. The woman proudly shows us her garden. And it really deserves respect: neat beds, where you can find anything - from a huge number of flowers to cucumbers and watermelons. In the house where we are invited to a glass of tea, there are dozens of jars carefully rolled up for the winter.

When parting, Rahila hands over a bag of vegetables from her garden, asks to take a photo together and send her a photo. And then she hugs and repeats again: “We want there to be peace and for war to never happen again.”

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Azerbaijan to Belarus Ulvi Bakhshaliyev said: “We expect that Belarus will also make its contribution to the restoration of the territories of Karabakh. Azerbaijan is interested in the experience of building Belarusian agricultural towns. It is in demand when constructing villages in Karabakh.”