The Great Return process in Karabakh and Eastern Zangazur is continuing in stages. In the territories liberated from occupation, settlements that had been destroyed over many years are being rebuilt, modern cities and villages are being established, and conditions are being created for people to return safely and comfortably to their ancestral homes.

 

The work being carried out here is not limited to construction and urban development projects. New roads are being built, electricity, gas and water supply systems are being established, and schools, healthcare facilities, as well as social and public facilities are being commissioned. In this way, all the necessary conditions are being created to restore normal life in Karabakh and Eastern Zangazur.

The process is already producing tangible results. In settlements where life had once come to a complete standstill and which had been left in ruins, life is now returning. People are returning to their homes, children are attending school, and new social and economic opportunities are emerging.

President Ilham Aliyev highlighted the scale of the Great Return process on September 15, when he received a delegation comprising members and observers of the Council of Heads of Muslim Religious Institutions of the Organization of Turkic States, co-organizers of the Yahya Bakuvi International Conference, and members of the Supreme Religious Council of the Peoples of the Caucasus. He noted that people are already living in 48 cities and villages in Karabakh and Eastern Zangazur.

““Today, people are already living in 48 cities and villages in Karabakh and Eastern Zangazur. In other words, former internally displaced persons have returned, while those working and studying there have settled in these areas. The Great Return Programme is being successfully implemented. As I have said, more than 90,000 people are already living in these cities and villages. In other words, life has returned, and this is our great achievement, a historic achievement. Our people lived in hardship and suffering for 30 years. Today, however, we live as a victorious people and a triumphant state.””

Of course, this figure reflects the tangible results of the large-scale reconstruction efforts being carried out in the liberated territories. The restoration of each new settlement and the return of each family to its ancestral home also mark the end of years of longing.

Alongside the establishment of new settlements in Karabakh and Eastern Zangazur, particular attention is being paid to restoring the region’s economic potential. Projects in industry, agriculture, tourism, transport and other sectors are defining the key directions for the region’s future development.

Thus, the Great Return is not merely about people returning to their ancestral lands. It is also a process of rebuilding Karabakh and Eastern Zangazur, revitalizing their economic and social life, and transforming these territories into modern and sustainable areas of development.