WE ARE BACK

The first group of internally displaced persons (IDPs) have begun to return to their homes in Azerbaijan. By the end of July 2022, 41 families have gradually relocated to the village of Aghaly  in the Zangilan district.

Since the end of 2020, Azerbaijan has been conducting extensive demining operations, the restoration of road, energy and utility infrastructure facilities, and the construction of industrial zones and administrative and social facilities in the Garabagh and East Zangezur economic regions. The programme dubbed The Great Return provides for the construction of towns and villages in the liberated lands.

Start of process

The most important of the five basic directions of the country's long-term development strategy—National Priorities for Socio-Economic Development: Azerbaijan 2030—is the Great Return to the Liberated Territories. In fact, the objective of all large-scale and capital-intensive infrastructure, industrial and agrarian projects implemented over almost the last two years in the Garabagh and East Zangezur economic regions is the intensive construction of towns and villages and settling them with the citizens of Azerbaijan. The effective implementation of the Great Return will accelerate the development of the region's rich resource potential, as well as the process of Garabagh’s integration into the national economy.

In May 2022, the first residents of the village of Aghaly started settling on their native lands. July 19-25 saw the first stage of the mass relocation of the country's citizens to the newly restored Aghaly village, which has been under construction for more than a year thanks to the Smart Village concept. The resettled families are former IDPs, including many from the villages of Birinji Aghaly and Uchunju Aghaly destroyed during the First Garabagh War. Prior to the Armenian occupation, this territory comprised three villages with a total of 675 inhabitants.

A total of 41 families (over 200 people) have been resettled to Aghaly this time. Ready-furnished houses with all the conditions and amenities were waiting for them. The houses have been distributed to the new settlers by drawing lots based on the principles of equity and transparency.

Until recently, most of the resettled people lived in difficult conditions in temporary settlements. According to current legislation, after their return to the places of permanent residence they can benefit from the state-guaranteed social protection measures for a period of three years. Social composition of these families is quite diverse, including pensioners and housewives, engineers and agrarians, entrepreneurs, as well as doctors, teachers, etc.

"Today we are witnessing a historic event, the Great Return to Garabagh. The first step is the resettlement of citizens in the restored village of Aghaly reconstructed as a Smart Village. In general, there are large-scale infrastructure projects being implemented in Zangilan, including the construction of railroads and roads. In the near future, there will be a new airport," Vahid Hajiyev, special envoy of the President of Azerbaijan for Zangilan, said recently. According to Mr. Hajiyev, the resettlement process will continue in the following months. In total, there are 1,457 former residents from the three Aghaly villages. Almost 90% of them have expressed their readiness to return to the restored village.

Combination of smart and quality infrastructure

What is the renewed village of Aghaly, which for the first time has seen a massive introduction of innovative building technologies, introduction of Internet of Things (IoT), elements of green energy and e-agriculture?

The Aghaly Smart Village project in Zangilan consists of five components, including the construction of businesses, houses, development of alternative energy, introduction of computer systems to control irrigation, gas and other systems. The first phase of the project has already been completed on a total area of 110 hectares using environmentally friendly and innovative materials to build 200 houses, four two-storey non-residential buildings, a school for 360 pupils and a kindergarten for 60 children. The reconstruction project included the introduction of an environmentally friendly heating system and the systems for smart lighting and waste management.

"Aghaly is a combination of smart and quality infrastructure, including water management and water quality as a crucial factor. With the repopulation of the village, it will be possible to learn about all the peculiarities of living based on the experiences of the resettled citizens," Alex Heikens, UNICEF representative for Azerbaijan, said.

The production and management component of the new settlement has also been well elaborated. New facilities in the village include a data and analytical centre, a smart irrigation management system and a 600-hectare cropping area, automated farms and processing halls. There will be drones actively used to control crops and pollinate the farming lands. There are plans to make extensive use of renewable energy sources (RES). In particular, solar panels will be installed at all residential, social and administrative buildings, catering facilities as well as the processing and production of agricultural products to be powered by RES. With the development of livestock farming in the village, there will be constructed facilities for the production of compost, fertilisers and biogas. A Smart DOST and Dost Aqropark service point will become operational as well. There will also be a medical centre, a district department of Azerpocht LLC, ASAN Xidmət Centres, and a number of small and medium business development projects.

"I would like to thank the first residents of Aghaly, which for the first time in Azerbaijan will see the development of the Smart Village concept, including the introduction of modern living conditions and innovative technologies. The rest of the liberated territories will also see the implementation of large-scale projects like in Aghaly," Rovshan Rzayev, chairman of the State Committee for Refugees and IDPs of Azerbaijan, said during the farewell ceremony organised for the first IDPs before their departure to Aghaly.

New life, new jobs

Apparently, the number of Aghaly residents will increase soon. There is already a project submitted for review to the President of Azerbaijan for the expansion of the village, including the construction of additional 150 houses with two- and three-floor residential buildings.

The expansion of the village’s area and the establishment of farming, commercial, service and other enterprises is key to the long-term sustainability of the new community. Certainly, Aghaly will initially and mainly be supported by the state. This is not surprising, as the absence of neighbouring settled villages with developed infrastructure will take time to establish a well-established livelihood for the first settlers, create jobs for them and provide access to markets.

The State Employment Agency of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection and other organisations provided training for 30 villagers in Aghaly to support and employ them. The participants have been provided with detailed information on entrepreneurship, equipment, raw materials and components for organising their activities in automobile repairs, construction, repair of household appliances, trade, etc. Azercell Telekom has also contributed to the employment of new residents of the village. It was the first to provide internet and mobile phone services to the smart village, build a base station, and set up the first official sales and a service point there.

Given the scale of the revival of the Garabagh region, with ₼4.4 billion invested there since 2021 by the state, as well as the implementation of various projects covering road construction works, communications facilities and other works, the residents of Aghaly will have additional opportunities for employment. It is worth mentioning the role of Azerbaijan’s main energy operator, Azerenerji, which is implementing a wide range of works on settling Garabagh in accordance with the Great Return Strategy, having already provided jobs for over 150 citizens of the country. New residents of Zangilan can rely on employment in energy, gas and water sectors, etc., with the launch of various projects on the establishment of agricultural and industrial clusters and urban development activities in the district.

The experience gained in Aghaly will soon be implemented in other initiatives in Zangilan. For example, since 2021 one of the Azerbaijani-Turkish joint ventures has been conducting preparatory works on a total area of 6,000 hectares to produce the agricultural park Dost to be specialised in cattle breeding. It will include processing facilities exporting the major share of their products to Turkey. There will also be a village built next to the production complex for the employees of the joint venture with all the necessary modern infrastructure.

It is noteworthy that the experience of Aghaly in introducing green and digital technologies will also be applied in the second smart village, Dovletyarly, located in Fuzuli district. It is planned to install solar panels, as well as to introduce digital systems for the development of aquaculture and poultry farms.

Master plans are ready

Zangilan is among the areas where construction works on settlements with approved master plans is to be accelerated first. Master plans have already been developed for some of the liberated towns. For instance, the administrative centre of the district, Zangilan, will be restored with a view to integrating it with nature and turning it into a park town.

The focus of the general plan for the city of Shusha is on the preservation of its magnificent historical heritage. Accordingly, the development of the recreational and tourist cluster in Shusha, with its restored historical and cultural monuments, is key. The city sees the upgrade of existing hotels, construction of new ones and new housing blocks. It is also worth mentioning that Azerbaijan has initiated works for the establishment of aviation infrastructure in the region, without which it is impossible to receive large numbers of foreign tourists. The international airport in Fuzuli was put into operation in October 2021, while the construction of another airport in Zangilan is expected to be completed by the end of this year and preparatory works for the rapid construction of an international airport in Lachin is accelerated.

According to most local and foreign experts, the ideal tool for the return of displaced persons to native lands is the creation of a network of industrial zones and agricultural clusters in the de-occupied areas, the development of an effective mechanism to support private initiatives, and the construction of export-oriented enterprises. Thus, the leading district under the Great Return Strategy is Aghdam, which will soon become the industrial centre of Garabagh. The city is being completely reconstructed for tens of thousands of residents. Next to the future residential zone is the Aghdam industrial park with nine residents registered on the territory of 190 hectares. Construction works will start here in August. Residents intend to implement projects with a total investment value of up to ₼60m, which will create over 1,000 permanent jobs. According to preliminary estimates, the first stage of the development of the industrial zone will cover 76 hectares with 30-40 entrepreneurs involved in the project. Their activities will mainly focus on production, processing and logistics of construction materials, agricultural products, etc. with high export potential. In the second stage, the rest of the territory of the industrial zone will be developed, with ₼110m-worth investment attracted and thousands of new jobs created in the area.

A production and service cluster will also be established in the Jabrayil district, where preparations are also underway for the design and construction works to develop a 200-hectare industrial park. This is the Araz Valley Economic Zone considered the main production hub for the entire Eastern Zangezur Economic Region. The territory of the industrial park will be divided into agricultural, industrial, social and technical zones. It is also planned to establish logistics and retail centres, warehouses, wholesale and retail outlets, a truck park, petrol stations, and repair stations for vehicles and other equipment. A residential area will also be developed in the vicinity of the Araz River with a village to accommodate over one thousand people.

In short, there will be all the necessary conditions not only for the comfortable life of the local population, but also for the transformation of the region to a highly developed economic hub.