Rovshan Rzayev, the Chairman of the State Committee for Refugees and IDPs, met with Mario Rafaelli, the former President of the Minsk Conference of the Conference for Security and Cooperation in Europe (present Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe), former Deputy Foreign Minister of Italy, who came to Baku to attend an international conference on “Illegal activity in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan and responsibility of third parties” organized by the Center for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan (CSS) on November 19. The Chairman of the State Committee informed the guest about the consequences of the humanitarian catastrophe faced by our country as a result of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict that still remains unresolved. It was noted that our compatriots, who became refugees and IDPs, settled in different parts of the country and suffered severe deprivation as a result of Armenia`s military aggression and policy of occupation. Failure to comply with UN Security Council`s four resolutions on immediate, complete and unconditional withdrawal of occupying forces from Azerbaijani lands prevents them from returning to their homeland. Moreover, the work done by Mr. Mario Raffaelli during his presidency in the Minsk Conference to address the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was recalled with a sense of satisfaction. It was noted that he initiated a proposal to suspend the fire and prepared a “Timetable of emergency actions” specifying the withdrawal of Armenian troops from the territory of Azerbaijan based on the UN Security Council resolutions. The efforts made by Italy to address the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict were highly appreciated. Informing the guests about the measures taken to address the problem of IDPs in Azerbaijan, the Chairman of the Committee said that the President Ilham Aliyev pursues a purposeful policy in this area and that the necessary state care is provided to the people affected by the war. It was noted that provision of their social protection and improvement of their housing and living conditions are among priorities. Large-scale projects are being implemented at the initiative of the First Vice President Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva to provide new apartments to the IDPs who still live under severe conditions. Hundreds of families temporarily settled in basements and damaged buildings have been relocated to new apartments this year and construction of residential complexes for IDPs is underway. It was stated that the desire and persistence of our compatriots living as IDPs to return to their homeland can be clearly seen in the example of Jojug Marjanli village of Jabrayil, which was liberated from the occupation two years ago and restored by the Azerbaijani government. It was underlined that the local residents who returned to the village now live there in peace, and the projects for ensuring their employment are being implemented. Mario Raffaelli thanked for the sincere meeting and detailed information provided on the state of IDPs and noted that he will continue to use all reasonable endeavors to resolve the conflict. The views were exchanged on various issues at the meeting. Farhad Mammadov, Director of the Center for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan attended the meeting. Later, the Italian diplomat visited the residential complex built for IDPs in Masazir settlement of Absheron district, and he met with the people temporarily settled therein.