Few countries solve problems of refugees just as Azerbaijan

By Azernews

By Rashid Shirinov

Few countries of the world solve the problems of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) just as Azerbaijan, Head of the EU Delegation to Azerbaijan, Ambassador Kestutis Jankauskas said on July 3.

He made the remarks at a meeting with Rovshan Rzayev, Chairman of the State Committee for Refugees and IDPs of Azerbaijan.

The sides discussed the issues of settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the importance of the EU’s fair position in this issue, and the problems of Azerbaijanis expelled from their homes as a result of Armenia’s aggressive policy.

It was noted that for resolving the conflict, the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan should be restored and more than 1.2 million refugees and IDPs should return to their lands.

It was also pointed out during the meeting that the IDPs temporarily residing in different areas of Azerbaijan, want to return home, and that the liberation of Jojug Marjanli village of Jabrayil region from occupation and its restoration made happy the families that had been forced to leave those lands.

Rzayev said that presently, the return of the inhabitants to the village is continuing, and as President Ilham Aliyev has repeatedly stressed, the work on reconstruction and rehabilitation will be carried out in all the territories of Azerbaijan liberated from occupation.

Jankauskas, in turn, expressed confidence that the existing close and effective relations will always develop. He noted that he will make every effort to further develop relations between Azerbaijan and the EU.

The sides also discussed the prospects for further cooperation.

Due to the ethnic cleansing policy carried out by Armenia and the Armenian occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions of Azerbaijan, the number of refugees and IDPs in Azerbaijan hit more than 1.2 million. With a population of about 9.8 million, Azerbaijan is among the countries carrying the highest IDP caseload in the world in per capita terms.

Thanks to the measures taken by the government over the past 13 years, the level of poverty among IDPs in Azerbaijan decreased from 75 to 12 percent.