90 families return to Aghdam as Azerbaijan’s Great Return Program continues

The return of former internally displaced persons to Azerbaijan’s liberated territories continues under the Great Return program implemented in accordance with the instructions of President Ilham Aliyev.

AzerNEWS reports that in the latest phase of the relocation process, 90 families comprising 346 people have moved to the city of Aghdam.

The families returning to Aghdam had been temporarily settled in different parts of Azerbaijan for decades, mainly in dormitories, sanatoriums and administrative buildings after being displaced during the First Karabakh War.

For many of them, the journey back to their hometown marks the end of more than thirty years of displacement and the beginning of a new chapter in their lives.

Speaking to local media outlets, former internally displaced person, Rasim Imanov, described the day as one of the most significant moments of his life.

“Today is a very remarkable day. We are going to live in Aghdam again. I grew up there – my childhood passed in that city, and I also received my secondary education there,” he said.

Imanov explained that he spent half of his life living in Baku as an internally displaced person after being forced to leave his hometown.

“Now returning to our native land is a great joy and a gift for us,” he said.

According to him, the hope of returning to Aghdam never faded despite decades of uncertainty.

“I always believed that we would return one day. I just didn’t know whether it would happen through war or peace. May God grant our President good health. We fought and achieved victory. This is a great success. I am proud of my President. Let the whole world know that we are proud of him. May God protect him and the Azerbaijani people,” Imanov added.

Another returning resident Abulfat Suleymanov said the day of return was filled with overwhelming emotions.

“For more than thirty years we lived in unfinished buildings. Today our joy has no limits. We are going to our native Aghdam. May God protect our state,” he said.

Suleymanov noted that when he was forced to leave Aghdam in the early 1990s, he was 32 years old and fled the city with four family members. Now, at the age of 66, he is returning with a much larger family.

“When we left Aghdam we were four people. Now I am returning at the age of 66 with ten members of my family, together with my children and grandchildren. We are going back to our homeland. May God rest the souls of our martyrs and grant health to our veterans,” he added.

Residents returning to their native land expressed gratitude to President Ilham Aliyev and First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva for the comprehensive state support provided to former displaced families. They also conveyed their appreciation to the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, whose soldiers and officers liberated the occupied territories, and paid tribute to the martyrs who sacrificed their lives during the war.

Aghdam, located in southwestern Azerbaijan, is the administrative center of the Aghdam district. The city was largely destroyed and depopulated in 1993 during the First Karabakh War, eventually earning the nickname “the Ghost Town of the Caucasus.”

Following the restoration of Azerbaijani control over the region in 2020, large-scale reconstruction projects have been launched in the city. New residential areas, industrial facilities and modern infrastructure are currently being developed as part of the government’s broader strategy to revive the liberated territories and ensure the sustainable return of former displaced residents.

The arrival of new families in Aghdam represents another step in the ongoing effort to restore life in a city that once stood empty for decades. For many of them, the return is more than a relocation – it is the long-awaited restoration of a homeland.