A meeting was held at the State Committee for Affairs of Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons of the Republic of Azerbaijan with the delegation of the German Bundestag visiting our country. The delegation, led by Chairwoman of the Bundestag Committee on Legal Affairs Elisabeth Winkelmeier-Becker, included deputies Janan Bayram, Stephan Brandner, Sonja Eichwede, Suzanne Hirle, Thorsten Lieb, Carsten Müller, and Jan Plobner. German Ambassador to Azerbaijan Ralf Horlemann and Advisor to German Foreign Minister Jan Schlichting also attended the meeting.
Rovshan Rzayev, the committee’s chairman, emphasized the historical circumstances that have contributed to the refugee and internally displaced persons (IDP) crisis in Azerbaijan and the state policy being implemented to solve this problem.
It was reported that ending the occupation of Armenia, total restoration of the territorial integrity and state sovereignty of our country for almost 30 years, hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis, whose fundamental rights were violated and who survived the hardships of forced displacement, were given the opportunity to return to their homeland. Large-scale reconstruction works are being carried out in these areas in accordance with the “I State Program on the Great Return to Territories Liberated from Occupation” approved by President Ilham Aliyev. The process of voluntary, safe and dignified return of internally displaced persons continues. President and First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva always focus on solving the problems of this group of citizens and take care of them.
When providing information on the initiatives being carried out to help internally displaced people be ready for the Great Return, it was noted that cooperation has been established in this area with the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ).
Elisabeth Winkelmeier-Becker, head of the delegation, expressed gratitude for the warm reception and conversations, explained the visit's aims in Azerbaijan, and emphasized Germany's commitment to promoting security in the South Caucasus and supporting peace talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
During the meeting, numerous questions from German MPs were answered. An exchange of views took place on various aspects of the Great Return, the possibility of coexistence of the Azerbaijani and Armenian communities in the territories liberated from occupation, and other issues of mutual interest were discussed.
