State Committee: Armenia is slowing down IDPs' return

"By refusing to hand over accurate mine maps fully, Armenia grossly violates fundamental human rights, especially the right to life, and simultaneously slows down the process of the Great Return of IDPs," Fuad Huseynov, Deputy Chairman of the Azerbaijani State Committee for Refugees and IDPs, said at the 73rd session of the Executive Committee of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Report informs.

Fuad Huseynov said that security measures are being taken in the liberated territories, and large-scale infrastructure projects are being implemented. Smart village and smart city projects are preferred in the reconstruction work carried out in the regions freed from occupation. About 70 families are already living in houses built under this concept in the Aghali village of Zangilan district. He noted that the Great Return of IDPs was determined as one of the five national priorities of the socio-economic development of Azerbaijan to be achieved by 2030.

At the session, it was brought to the attendees' attention that Armenia has polluted the territories of Azerbaijan with mines and other unexploded munitions.

Restoring justice for IDPs is a solid foundation for any long-term peace and stability in the region, and in this respect, ending this prolonged conflict means restoring IDPs' basic fundamental rights. It was emphasized that with the joint efforts of the international community, Azerbaijan will be able to present a new model for post-conflict rehabilitation and reintegration in the next few years.