Radio Free Europe tried to overshadow the process of the Great Return by publishing, in addition to the opinions of the repatriates, statements from several citizens who said that they “live in difficult conditions and were excluded from resettlement” in a video he shared on his social media accounts about the return of internally displaced persons to the Fuzuli city.

From this point of view, the Press Service of the State Committee for Affairs of Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons of the Republic of Azerbaijan reports that an investigation has been conducted into the statements of some people in the video about exclusion from resettlement.

Following an investigation, it was established that one of the addresses at which the record was performed was the basement of an incomplete maternity hospital, located at “Koroghlu Rahimov Street, 824/835” in the Narimanov district of Baku. In July 2018, families who temporarily settled in the basement and lived in difficult conditions for a long time were transferred to the Gobu Park residential complex, built in the Garadagh district of Baku. Resettlement work was carried out on the basis of the “Rules for the provision of residential premises for the temporary residence fund for internally displaced persons”, approved by Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Azerbaijan Republic No. 65 dated February 24, 2017.

Accordance with the terms and conditions of rule, 4 families living at the specified address were not provided with living space from the temporary residence fund for internally displaced persons. Two of them come from the village of Mahrizli in the Aghdam district, which has never been occupied.

One of the two people interviewed in the video - Maharramova Alida Ahad is originally from Amasiya region of Armenia. She was permanently registered in Absheron district until 2007. Then she was registered in Khojaly district. She has no IDP status.

The other interviewee - Valishova Aida Komak is a resident of Beylagan district, where she is permanently registered. It means, she is not an internally displaced person.

Another interviewee - Almuradova Gulbahar Shahmurad a displaced person from Yukhari Abdurrahmanli village of Fuzuli district. She temporarily settled in dormitory No. 1 of Azerbaijan Technical University. After the restoration of Abdurrahmanli village, she and her family members will be returned to their homeland.

We inform the public that migration process is carried out transparently and fairly with the participation of special missions of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, regional executive authorities and representatives of civil society. Currently, return to the territory of the Fizuli region is carried out only through the newly built city of Fuzuli. The foundations of several villages in the region have been laid, and construction work is proceeding at a rapid pace. IDPs will be provided with new apartments in accordance with the resettlement schedule for the cities, villages and towns where they are registered.

As part of the Great Return, 727 families (2,896 people) were resettled to the village of Aghali in the Zangilan region, the village of Talish in the Tartar region, the village of Zabukh in the Lachin region, and the cities of Lachin and Fuzuli. Mostly families resettled to their homeland were temporarily settled in dormitories, sanatoriums, pioneer camps, incomplete buildings and administrative buildings in the Absheron region, the cities of Baku and Sumgayit.