Residents of Jojug Marjanli begin new life in native village
By Rashid Shirinov
Azerbaijan’s Jojug Marjanli village is living through a successful period of history. The families, which resided here more than two decades ago, now are returning to their native village. The people have smiles on faces because now they can eventually reunion with their native land.
It was very dangerous to live in the village before the April battles of 2016. But the situation completely changed after the successful counter-attack of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces to Armenian provocations. The Azerbaijani army valiantly prevented the provocations in the front line and struck a devastating blow to the Armenian army for a short time. As a result, the Armenian troops were kicked back, and the Azerbaijani troops released 2 hectares of territories from Armenian occupation, retook hills around the village of Talish, as well as Seysulan settlement, and also took over Leletepe hill located in the direction of Fuzuli region.
After that, security was restored in the village, and the Azerbaijani government launched a program on returning Jojug Marjanli residents to their native village.
In late January 2017, President Ilham Aliyev ordered to restore Jojug Marjanli. Under the order, 4 million manats was allocated for the construction of 50 private houses, a school, a mosque and other relevant infrastructure at the first stage. Moreover, President signed an order on additional measures to construct the road leading to the village and allocated 4.3 million manats from the state budget for the construction of a 9-km long highway.
The work has been finalized here, people return to Jojug Marjanli, and the government moves to the second stage of the village’s restoration, which envisages construction of 100 more houses in Jojug Marjanli.
The Khudiyevs are among the families that have already came to the village. Zaur Khudiyev married ten years ago, but due to the Armenian aggression his family had to live in an administrative building in Baku, far from Zaur’s native village.
The family members told a Xezerxeber.az reporter that all conditions were created in their newly-built house in Jojug Marjanli. All houses are all day long provided with gas, electricity and water supply. Zaur’s family, which saw Jojug Marjanli only on TV, now live here, in the land of their ancestors.
Meanwhile, the school for 96 pupils built in Jojug Marjanli is now fully ready for the new school year. Some parents have already registered their children into the pupils list. The teaching staff continues to be recruited into the school. Teachers both from Jojug Marjanli and the surrounding villages have applied for a job in the school.
Today, Jojug Marjanli enters its second life. Now its residents will be able to live in the place they had to leave in early 1990s. Thanks to the courageous Azerbaijani army, their children are now able to live in their native place, and soon, other internally displaced persons of Azerbaijan will gain this opportunity as well.
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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov
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