Ali Hasanov said that political status of the refugees expelled from Armenia will not be changed until their returning to homeland.
250 000 of them are Azerbaijanis expelled from Armenia in 1988-1992, 50 000 are Akhiska Turks expelled from Uzbekistan during the Fergana events and nearly 600 000 are Azerbaijanis forcibly displaced from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, 100 000 – from the border and frontline areas”, said Vice Prime Minister, Chairman of the State Committee for Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons Ali Hasanov, making comments on showing the number of refugees and displaced persons in Azerbaijan as 600 000 in the reports prepared by PACE rapporteur on migration, refugees and population John Greenway and UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) for 2008, APA reports. ‘Unfortunately UNHCR removed from its lists the names of refugees, who received citizenship of Azerbaijan in 1999 according to the UN Convention on Status of Refugees”, said the Vice Prime Minister.
UNHCR argues that these refugees received citizenship, were settled and secured by the government of Azerbaijan. “While establishing the State Oil Fund in 2001, national leader Heydar Aliyev issued a decree, which said that political status of the refugees expelled from Armenia will not be changed until their returning to homeland. The government of Azerbaijan stated it for many times. Azerbaijani people expelled from Armenia have a refugee status. Their privileges were disaffirmed because they were settled, but it doesn’t mean that they lost their status. The Azerbaijani people expelled from Armenia will save their refugee status until their returning to home”.
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