On August 24, a high-level conference was held on topic of “Great Return to the liberated territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan: violated rights and their restoration” organized by the General Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Azerbaijan, with the participation of numerous state institutions, representatives of international organizations in our country, and representatives of non-governmental organizations, in Aghali village of Zangilan region.
Before the event, the conference participants laid wreaths and bunches of flowers in front of the bust of the national leader of our people, Heydar Aliyev, and commemorated his unforgettable memory with deep respect.
Prosecutor General Kamran Aliyev, who opened the conference, emphasized that as a result of the successful and confident implementation of the national development concept of the great leader Heydar Aliyev, the founder and savior of the independent Azerbaijani state, who gained eternity with his exceptional services, by President Ilham Aliyev, the creator of the most powerful Azerbaijan in history, our country has secured its progress of for the next decades.
It was reported that the glorious Victory, written in golden letters to our history and statehood, created new geopolitical realities in our region, and the unprecedented rapid restoration and construction works carried out under the leadership of the head of state and the close participation of First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva laid the foundation for the return of the eternal residents of Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur.
It was specially emphasized that only 1 year and 8 months after the end of the Patriotic War with Victory, as the first example of the “Smart Village” project, the transfer of the population to Aghali village of Zangilan region was started, and they were provided with high-quality houses equipped with modern technologies.
As a result of the purposeful ethnic cleansing, genocidal policy and military aggression carried out against our country since the beginning of the last century, Azerbaijanis were forcibly displaced from their ancestral lands, over 400 thousand became refugees and up to 850 thousand - IDPs, in total, more than 1 million of our compatriots live as refugees and IDPs, and in 1994, 1 out of every 7 people of the country’s population was a refugee or and IDP compared to other countries, and it is the highest relative indicator in this respect in the world.
It was noted that almost all fundamental human rights and freedoms of the citizens of Azerbaijan, who were forcibly displaced as a result of the military aggression of Armenia, were violated, and in accordance with the instructions of the head of state, the prosecutor’s office, it was brought to attention that, in cooperation with the relevant state institutions, necessary measures were taken to restore the rights of our citizens violated as a result of the Armenian aggression and to bring all the guilty persons responsible for the material and moral damage caused to our country.
Speaking at the conference, the representative of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Azerbaijan, Guido Ambroso, said that the issue of refugees and IDPs is one of the most painful problems of the modern world, that our country has undergone through severe trials in this field, and noted that the organization he represents will provide the necessary support for the return of IDPs.
Speaking at the event, Rovshan Rzayev, Chairman of the State Committee for Affairs of Refugees and IDPs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, drew attention to the implementation of comprehensive measures by the great leader Heydar Aliyev and his worthy successor, President Ilham Aliyev, to eliminate the consequences of the humanitarian disaster faced by our country after the restoration of independence, and said that the return of our compatriots who are longing to return to the liberated regions is one of the main tasks ahead.
At the conference, the Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Azerbaijan Chingiz Asgarov spoke about the activities carried out in the direction of restoring the violated rights of our citizens through international courts, the Chairman of the Bar Association of the Republic of Azerbaijan Anar Baghirov spoke about the efficiency of international law in the protection of rights violated as a result of the Armenian occupation, the head of the Human Rights Commissioner (Ombudsman) Office of the Republic of Azerbaijan Aydin Safikhanli spoke about the actions carried out by the Ombudsman institution in the field of protection of the rights of our refugees and former IDP compatriots, and Heydar Mammadov, Deputy Prosecutor General of the Republic of Azerbaijan, spoke on the internationally recognized rights of IDPs.
After the speeches, discussions were held on the topic. Representatives of non-governmental organizations and mass media, as well as the resident of Aghali village, Mohubbat Samadov, expressed their opinions and noted the relevance of the topic.
Within the framework of the conference, the participants of the event got acquainted with the Aghali village, which was built on the basis of the “Smart Village” project, and expressed their satisfaction with the conditions created for the residents based on the most modern technologies in a short period of time.
