Vahid Hajiyev: Liberated territories being transformed into sustainable and eco-friendly regions

The first stage of Azerbaijan's state program for the Great Return to the liberated territories is expected to be completed by the end of 2026, Vahid Hajiyev, Special Representative of the President of Azerbaijan in the Jabrayil District, Gubadli District, and Zangilan District, said during an event dedicated to the theme "Reconstruction and Urbicide: Sustainable Urban Development and Resilient Communities" held within the framework of the World Urban Forum 13, according to Report.

"After the liberation of the occupied lands in 2020, a large-scale Great Return program covering the period from 2022 to 2026 was developed by decree of President Ilham Aliyev. By the end of this year, we expect the successful completion of the first phase of this program, as a result of which more than 80,000 people will have returned to and permanently settled in their native lands," the special representative said.

According to him, over the past four years, an enormous amount of work has been carried out to restore the devastated territories and transform them on a large scale.

"This is about the comprehensive revival of conflict-affected districts and their transformation into sustainable, environmentally friendly, and interconnected regions of new opportunities," he emphasized.

Vahid Hajiyev particularly noted that the total destruction in Jabrayil, Gubadli, and Zangilan clearly reflects the true scale of the consequences of the long-term occupation, during which once-thriving cities, towns, and villages of East Zangazur were wiped off the map.

"Only the ruins of buildings remained from once-living and developed settlements," he stated.

The presidential special representative stressed that the destruction of infrastructure was systemic in nature, affecting not only housing stock but also the ecological and cultural environment of the region.

"This represents a tragic example of urbicide, which was universally accompanied by ecocide and culturicide," Vahid Hajiyev concluded.