By Trend

After meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, the State Committee for Refugees and IDPs began work on fulfilling the president’s instructions, said Rovshan Rzayev, the committee’s chairman, Trend reports Nov. 1.

Ilham Aliyev said that by the end of next year, over 7,000 families of IDPs will be provided with housing, Rzayev added.

The chairman noted that the committee has already received a part of the funds allocated by the president for this matter. “The rest part will be provided next year,” he added.

With the funds, the committee will fulfill all these instructions, Rzayev said.

The head of the committee noted that three buildings are being constructed in the Umid settlement of the Garadagh district of Baku, and a settlement for more than 1,500 families is under construction in the Ramana settlement of Sabunchu district.

“Another settlement will also be built in the territory of the Khojahasan settlement in the Binagadi district [of Baku] for 800 families,” Rzayev said. “In addition, a settlement is being built for IDPs in Sumgait city, and the construction of another one will begin early next year. Until the end of this year, up to 6,000 families will be resettled. The committee also is building a settlement for 3,700 families in Baku and the districts. The private sector makes big contribution to this.”

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.