Military victory deprives Azerbaijan forced migrants of hope for housing

Azerbaijani authorities have stopped providing housing to forced migrants from Nagorno-Karabakh, without promising their prompt return to their home towns and villages, the "Meydan TV" stated in its publication.

After the transfer of significant territories of Nagorno-Karabakh under Azerbaijan's control, new apartments, built for forced migrants are now transferred to the balance of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection in order to distribute them among other people in need of housing. This was announced by the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliev. "I know that they have been waiting for these apartments for many years, but now their lands have been liberated. Therefore, it is completely illogical to settle former refugees and forced migrants in Baku, Ganja or Sumgait," Aliev's words are quoted in the article "(Non)temporary migrants. Without hope for return and normal housing", published on February 27 on the "Meydan TV" website.

The returning process of forced migrants has not begun yet; authorities have not even announced any dates. Those who hoped to receive the promised housing in the coming years are worried that instead they will continue living in dilapidated buildings of former hostels, schools, kindergartens and even in railway coaches. "We have no home here, why not to return? In general, many want to return. Who would like staying in such conditions?! But, in my opinion, it will take three or four years, or maybe even seven year to return," the above article quotes Valida Yusifova, one of forced migrants, as saying.

Khalid Bagirov, a lawyer, believes that the government should cancel the status of refugees and forced migrants only after all the obstacles to their return are eliminated. "Until then, the annulment of this status appears to be incorrect from the legal point of view," Mr Bagirov believes.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on March 5, 2021 at 09:10 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.