There is no problem that Azerbaijan cannot overcome.
Internally displaced persons, who live in settlements today, will be provided with houses in liberated and renovated regions.
The history of state care and attention to refugees and IDPs, solution of their problems and improvement of their life is 15 years old. On the one hand, confrontation of brothers, and on the other hand, national leader Heydar Aliyev returned to the authority again in the background of Armenian aggression at the people’s will and declared this course since unstable 1993 in spite of restrictions, poverty and much complicated situation that existed in that period. The following 15 years proved that the state’s priority objective was indeed to ensure needs of this privileged contingent, making up one person out of each 8. Many problems – food and living needs of our fellow citizens, dirving hard life in the fields, campsites and brick houses for about 10 years were solved at the cost of much scanty funds of Azerbaijan, owing to Heydar Aliyev’s authority at the international scene and brotherly aid of close states. When Azerbaijan rose to its feets, its economy revived, possibilities enlarged and economic potential increased, the state assumed their protection itself. The revenue frought by the national resource – oil was directed to providing refugees and IDPs with comfortable houses.
This course has been successfully continued by Ilham Aliyev within last four years. It is not accidental that the problems connected with living conditions of IDPs were solved just during last four years. On the eve of 1993 presidential election, the President said that not even a single campsite will remain in the country in the nearest 5 years. This promise was completely fulfilled before the appointed time. There is not an IDP family in Azerbaijan who lives in a campsite now.
13 new settlements were constructed only in Agdam region. These residential areas consist not only of houses, they are also provided with schools, hospitals, administrative institutions and nursery schools, in general, with all kinds of facilities. The head of state personally attended the opening ceremony of each settlement, visited IDP houses and got interested in their troubles. One of these settlements was given to the use of IDPs in Zobujuq, Fizuli region. The President personally took part at the opening ceremony of the new settlement. His speech before IDPs displayed on the one hand his attention to every country’s citizen, especially to its privileged group, on the other hand, IDPs’ support and respect towards the President. The President stated that “Execution of State Program on improvement of living conditions and increase of employment level of refugees and IDPs is being fulfilled very successfully. All the objectives that we intended to implement while adopting the program in 2004 have been realized, and the work fulfilled since that time is obvious. We can see this in the new buildings and settlements as well. I remember that I stated and promised on the eve of the presidential election in 2003 that not even a single campsite will remain in the country in the nearest 5 years. I’m very pleased that we have achieved our goal within four years”. The President added there is no campsite in Azerbaijan any more.
Our fellow citizens, driving formerly hard and difficult life, have been moved to new houses and live now in new buildings. These settlements were provided with all necessary infrastructures: nice houses, newly constructed roads, water pipes, electric power, schools, dispensaries, i.e. there are all possibilities for good life. “Tens of thousands of our fellow citizens were moved to new houses in recent years. This policy was started by great leader Heydar Aliyev in early 2000. In that time it was decided to demolish part of campsites and the IDPs living there were moved to newly built houses. The first such a settlement was constructed in Bilasuvar region in 2003. Afterwards, as I underlined, the State Program was adopted in 2004 and new enclosures were made to the program several months ago. As a result of execution of the program adopted in 2004, as well as inserted enclosures, 330 thousand IDPs will be provided with appropriate living conditions. Over 70 thousand people were moved to new houses and this process continues.
Of course, we tried above all to provide the people, who live in hard conditions in campsites, with new houses. But at the second stage the IDPs living in military units, Finnish houses, vans and dormitories will be provided with new houses too. This is the state policy and everything is apparent”.
The head of state said “We stick to this policy and we’ll follow it. Because such issues as improvement of social conditions of the people, who live in hard conditions, are the matter of primary urgency for us and for our country. We should solve all the problems of the people suffering from the aggression and who are the victims of ethnic cleaning policy carried out by Armenians. Construction of new settlements is revival of new territories. There weren’t any settlements in Zobujug before, but now a big territory was restored, people live there today and will live in the future”. Infrastructure projects are underway in Azerbaijan; every measure is taken for people’s safe life. “I’m sure that people will live here well, happily, they will create and their children will study at this nice school. Our fellow citizens – IDPs must live in better conditions all over Azerbaijan. We follow this policy for a long time. These issues were always in focus, but simply our financial capacity was limited. In mid-1990s Azerbaijan’s economic power wasn’t like it is today. Azerbaijan’s economy strengthens nowadays. First off all, we witness it in flourishing towns, hundreds of millions of dollars spent for the construction of these settlements. Construction of these buildings is the offspring of oil strategy started on the initiative of great leader Heydar Aliyev and successfully continued today”. He added that Azerbaijani oil is national resource of our country and this wealth plays an important role in the improvement of Azerbaijani nation’s living conditions. “Heydar Aliyev took a great and courageous step signing the “Contract of the Century” in 1994. It was a difficult task to fulfill this work in the situation of that time. You should remember the pressure, which started to be put upon him and attempts at him. We all remember this very well. But the steps taken in those years led Azerbaijan to a new development level and all the settlements, thousands, ten thousands of new buildings were constructed at the expense of Oil Fund”.
The first monetary means of the AR State Oil Fund were spent on the improvement of IDPs’ living conditions which proves once again that this is the priority issue for our state. Although the state faced rather great problems, the first money was spent on the improvement of people’s life. The President stated that such topical matters as “infrastructure projects, solution of social issues, road-construction, as well as construction of power stations stood in our light both in that time and nowadays. But social issues were in focus first of all, and hundreds of thousands of dollars have already been spent from State Oil Fund’s budget. Over US $ 900 mln was spent from all sources – state budget, the AR State Oil Company and from the reserve of the State Oil Fund to that end up to now. We shall increase this holding in the coming years. Enclosures made to the State Program in September, 2007 require more than AZN 500 mln investment and this sum is available in the state budget. We have financial opportunities and during next three-four years even serious social problems of IDPs will be settled”. The President is confident that after Azerbaijan liberates all its regions from aggressors, construction work will be carried out everywhere, all infrastructures will be restored, houses and schools will be built. “We’ll do it. The reconstruction process, ongoing in the released territories of Fizuli region, gives us ground to say that we’ll achieve this end on a bigger scale. I have met with soldiers, officers in the contact line of troops today, in the morning. As you know, I constantly visit frontline territories and every time I meet with soldiers. I have witnessed over again that our army is ready and able to fulfill all the tasks standing before us. Army potential, military expenses, increasing year after year, bring us together with our goal. Azerbaijani army is the most powerful army in Caucasia region both for its professionalism and material and technical basis. I would like to repeat once again that no one can deflect us from our principal position. Armenian-Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh conflict must be settled within Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. There is no other way. I’m sure that the day will come soon and we’ll restore our territorial integrity”.
According to the order No. 80 of the AR President dated February 4, 2004 “On the improvement social and living standards of IDPs’ from Agdam and other regions who were driven away from native lands as a result of occupation of Azerbaijani territories by Armenian armed forces and temporarily settled in campsites in Barda and Agjabadi regions, as well as in vans in the railway in Barda region and ensuring their employment”, 12 settlements were constructed in Agdam region, one in Lachin winter quarters of Agjabadi region and 3860 families – 17 thousand IDPs were moved to the new, modern settlements supplied with all necessary facilities.
According to the “State Program on the improvement of living conditions of refugees and IDPs’ and increase of employment level”, approved by the order of the AR President on July 1, 2004, 13 settlements supplied with all necessary infrustructures were constructed in Bilasuvar, Fizuli, Sabirabad, Agdam and Agjabadi regions for 4179 IDP families temporarily settled in 3 campsites in Saatli and Sabirabad regions and in vans in the railway in Imishli region. Hence, the last IDPs in 3 campsites were moved to the new and modern settlements and those campsites were demolished till December 2007. Thus, the instruction of AR President, Ilham Aliyev, on the abolishment of campsites was fulfilled before the appointed time.
40 IDP families, temporarily settled in “Garanfil” sanatorium, were moved to the new settlement constructed in Sabunchu district in 2007. A new settlement for 450 IDP families, temporarily settled in “Zugulba” sanatorium in Azizbeyov district of Baku, was constructed in Ramana settlement of Sabunchu district. On May 4, 2007, AR President, Ilham Aliyev attended the opening ceremony of this settlement supplied with all socio-technical facilities.
70 IDP families, temporarily settled in Finnish settlements in Davachi region, were moved to the new settlement constructed in the same territory. 16 settlements were constructed in Agdam, Agjabedi, Bilesuvar, Sabirabad, Fizuli, Sabunchu and Devechi regions for IDPs in 2007; 4739 dwelling houses in 254 thousand sq/km territory, 13 schools, 1 music school, 11 nursery schools, 13 medical establishments, 12 club-community center and 12 communication places were constructed and given to use, as well as 250 km electric line, 227 km drinking-water pipelines, 167 km road-street net and other social and service establishments were constructed. Only in last 4 years 30 settlements covering 460 thousand sq/km territory were constructed in Agdam, Agjabedi, Bilesuvar, Sabirabad, Fizuli, Sabunchu and Davachi regions for 8916 IDP families – 41 thousand people, temporarily living in 7 campsites remained in the republic, as well as in vans in the railway in Barda and Imishli regions; 40 schools, 4 music school, 16 nursery schools, 24 medical establishments and 19 communication facilities were constructed and given to use, as well as 303 km road, 364 km drinking-water pipeline and 468 km electric line were constructed and IDPs were moved to those settlements.
In general, 56 settlements and private houses, as well as 108 schools, 4 music schools, 34 nursery houses, 42 medical establishments, 30 communication houses enclosing 880 thousand sq/km, 464 km road, 5384 km water pipes, 8266 km electric net were constructed, irrigation work was fulfilled in 10 thousand ha territory and 478 electric transformers of different power were constructed for 15.821 families – 71.200 refugees and IDPs in 2001-2007; AZN 383 mln allocated from the State Oil Fund’s reserve (AZN 380 mln) and other sources (AZN 3 mln) was spent on reconstruction work.
The ammount of money, assigned from state budget for social secutrity of refugees and IDPs, considerably increased in recent years and control over its rational use has been strengthened. IDPs were given bank cards for food expenses in order to secure transparency in paying money – AZN 57.2 mln invested from the state budget in 2007. Food was distributed among 270 thousand IDPs.
87 thousand IDP families in 51 towns and regions, who aren’t provided with gas, were monthly supplied with 40 liters of kerosine in winter. Average wage is still paid to 14 thousand IDPs, who had worked in the establishments funded from state budget and are unemployed today. AZN 76.4 mln, allocated from state budget for IDPs’ communal expenses, was paid to service organizations in centralized form. IDPs were rendered different kind of aid during a year, on the eve of the holidays, by ministries, committees, companies, concerns and shareholder companies of the republic amounting to AZN 2.7 mln.
AZN 304 mln was allocated by the government in 2007 for social security of refugees and IDPs and it is 4.2 times as much as in 2003, but in comparison with 2001, it is 8 times as much. 7255 refugees and IDPs were provided with jobs in 2007, 330 people were given the unemployed status, 210 people were attracted to handicraft courses and 220 people – to paid public work.
Azerbaijan
