Representative of UNHCR met with IDPs in Barda, Agjabadi

By Azernews

By Naila Huseynli

Representative of UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Azerbaijan Guido Ambroso and Protection Officer Oktavian Mohorea met with internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Lachin region, settled in Takhtakorpu area of Agjabadi region and in Barda region on August 27.

In the framework of his visit to western regions of Azerbaijan, Ambroso mentioned that he was worked in Azerbaijan as an employee of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in 1995-1997 and witnessed the difficult and tense day of IDPs and people who suffered from the war.

“At that time, the focus of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees was to provide emergency assistance to the internally displaced persons together with the government of Azerbaijan. The settlements were built by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in order to help them to get rid of the situation they are dealing with, and improve their housing conditions. Then, Azerbaijan’s financial situation improved, economic opportunities expanded, and the Azerbaijani government took over the responsibility for IDPs. But we have never forgotten the IDPs in Azerbaijan. We will be with them until they return to their homelands. We will continue to campaign with the Azerbaijani government to protect the rights of internally displaced persons,” stated Ambroso.

Then Ambroso met with IDPs in the regions, and inquired about their living conditions. During the meeting, IDPs expressed the satisfaction with the state level care, and said that they never forget their homeland, and they are looking forward to return to their homeland. Moreover, they also asked for protection of Azerbaijan’s rights at the international level, and expressed their dissatisfaction with the fact that four resolution of UN Security Council on Azerbaijan still remains on paper for many years.

The representative of UNHCR in Azerbaijan said: “The UN High Commissioner for Refugees is a humanitarian organization and it deals with the elimination of the consequences, not the conflicts. Japan's Fuji Company conducts humanitarian action in Azerbaijan with the support of UN High Commissioner for Refugees, internally displaced persons were examined and provided with the glasses. We hope that the conflict will be resolved through the peaceful negotiations on the initiative of the OSCE Minsk Group based on the resolutions adopted by the UN Security Council.”

During the occupation of Lachin region by the Armenian armed forces in 1992, 267 people were killed, including 18 children under the age of 16, 120 people lost their health, 66 were taken hostage, and hundreds of children became orphans. All the settlements of the regions were burned by the Armenian armed forces, ancient history and cultural monuments have been vandalized. Damage as a result of occupation in            amounted to $7.1 million. More than 77,000 residents of the Lachin region live as internally displaced persons for 26 years in 58 cities and regions of the Republic of Azerbaijan, including Takhtakorpu area of Agjabadi region.

Moreover, 33,172 IDPs or 9,442 families from Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding regions settled in the territory of Barda region. Over the past 26 years, new families established and new children are born in IDP families. The number of internally displaced people is increasing. As many as 129 IDP families have been provided with housing in new settlements in Yevlakh and Aghdam regions. The construction of another settlement for IDPs is planned in the region.

Settlements, residential areas were built in different parts of Azerbaijan for IDPs in accordance with the State Program on “Improving the living conditions of refugees and internally displaced persons and increasing employment” and corresponding orders of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan.