Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

Azerbaijani and Kuwaiti officials have discussed the fate of the Azerbaijani refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs).

Azerbaijani Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the State Committee for Refugee and IDP Affairs and Chairman of the Republican Commission for International Humanitarian Assistance, Ali Hasanov received Undersecretary of the Kuwaiti Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Asia Committee of the International Islamic Charitable Organization, Adel Abdullah Al Falah on May 8.

During the meeting, Al Falah praised Azerbaijan`s development and achievements.
Touching upon the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Al Falah said his country wanted the dispute to be resolved as soon as possible.

He said Kuwait wants immediate return of the Azerbaijani refugees and IDPs to their homelands.

Al Falah further noted that his country would always support Azerbaijan in all fields.
Hasanov, in turn, praised humanitarian and charity projects conducted in Azerbaijan under Al Falah.

The Kuwaiti official was honored with Dostlug (Friendship) Order by the Azerbaijani President for his services in 2010.

Hasanov referred to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, saying: "Today we mark the anniversary of the occupation of Shusha, a holy land for the Azerbaijani people, the pearl of Azerbaijan, the conservatoire of the East."

He referred to several obstacles on the way of resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Hasanov said the obstacles over resolution of the conflict include Armenia`s non-constructive position, the failure of the OSCE Minsk Group, which has been mediating the dispute for more than 20 years to yield any concrete results, injustice reigning in the world, and superpowers` pursuing their own interests in the region.

Hasanov provided an insight into what the Azerbaijan government had done to solve the problems of refugees and IDPs and improve their living conditions.

He said 82 state-of-the-art residential areas were built for refugees and IDPs in the country, saying more than 180,000 people were resettled there.

He also praised the contribution of the Azerbaijani Office of Asia Committee of the International Islamic Charitable Organization to resolve the problems of refugees and IDPs in the country.

The bloody war which flared up in the late 1980s due to Armenia's territorial claims against its South Caucasus neighbor left 700,000 civilians of Nagorno-Karabakh, the regions adjoining it, and the regions bordering Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh without homes.

They are temporarily settled in more than 1,600 settlements across 62 cities and regions in Azerbaijan. Moreover, 250,000 Azerbaijanis were expelled from Armenia and became refugees due to Armenia's ethnic cleansing policy after the emergence of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The Azerbaijanis who were displaced from their homes were forced to live in refugee camps, tents, and wagons in very difficult conditions.

As a result of Armenia's military aggression, over 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed, 4,866 are reported missing, almost 100,000 were injured, and 50,000 were disabled.

The UN Security Council has passed four resolutions on Armenian withdrawal from the Azerbaijani territory, but they have not been enforced to this day.