Azernews.Az

Qabil Ashirov

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Azerbaijan has continued its Great Return programme, relocating 78 families comprising 272 people to the liberated territories of Aghdam and Khojavand in line with President Ilham Aliyev's instructions.

Some 70 families, totalling 238 people, have been resettled in Aghdam city, while another eight families, comprising 34 people, have returned to the village of Quzeyxırman in the Khojavand district.

The returning residents are former internally displaced persons (IDPs) who had been living in temporary accommodation across Azerbaijan, primarily in dormitories, sanatoriums and administrative buildings.

Upon returning to their ancestral homes, the residents expressed gratitude to President Ilham Aliyev and First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva for the comprehensive state support provided to displaced families. They also paid tribute to the Azerbaijani Army and the soldiers and officers who liberated the country's territories, honouring those who lost their lives in the struggle.

For many of the returning residents, the relocation marks the fulfilment of a dream they have cherished for more than three decades.

"Thank God, we have lived to see this day! After 30 years, we are going back to our own land, to our homeland. We prayed to God day and night to reunite us with our ancestral lands. Today, our dream is coming true," former IDP Kamila Mammadova told local media outlets.

Mammadova said the return was especially meaningful for an 85-year-old person who had spent decades longing to see their homeland again. She added that returning to Aghdam had been her greatest wish.

Expressing gratitude for the opportunity to return, she also remembered those who sacrificed their lives for the liberation of Azerbaijani territories and wished a speedy recovery to wounded veterans.

"May God grant our President and Mrs Mehriban good health! May God help our veterans and rest the souls of our martyrs in peace! Thanks to them, we are returning to our own homes and homeland. This was our dream. We want to live on our ancestral land and find happiness there," Mammadova said.

The return has brought immense joy to residents who have spent 33 years waiting for the opportunity to rebuild their lives in Aghdam. After decades of displacement, former IDPs are finally able to fulfil their long-held wish to live in their native land, breathe its air and drink its water.

Elgiz Aslanov, another former IDP who has returned to Aghdam, described the relocation as one of the happiest and most memorable days of his life.

"This is the happiest and most joyful day for us. Our happiness knows no bounds. After 33 years of longing, we are returning to our homeland to settle and live there," Aslanov said.

He added that the authorities had made the necessary arrangements for the relocation, providing transportation and other assistance to facilitate the families' return.

Aslanov also expressed gratitude to the country's leadership for the support extended to former IDPs, emphasising the unique emotional significance of returning to the place where one was born and raised.

"Our greatest wish was to return to our ancestral lands, breathe their air, drink their water and live in our homeland from now on. Azerbaijan is our country, but the place where a person is born and grows up is something entirely different. The joy of living on one's native land is incomparable," he said.

The latest relocation is part of Azerbaijan's ongoing Great Return programme, which aims to resettle former IDPs in territories liberated from occupation and restore normal life in the affected areas. For the families arriving in Aghdam and Quzeyxırman, the move represents a long-awaited opportunity to reconnect with their roots and begin a new chapter in their ancestral homeland.