Azerbaijan debuts draw among families back to homeland in liberated Shusha

The State Committee of Azerbaijan for Affairs of Refugees and IDPs has held a draw among the families who will return to liberated Shusha city in accordance with the order of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.

Personnel from the Special Representative Office of the President of Azerbaijan in the Shusha District, as well as the district's executive power and the public council under the Committee for Refugees and IDPs, attended the event.

Welcoming the start of the return process with great joy, the residents of Shusha expressed deep gratitude to President Ilham Aliyev and First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva for their attention and care over the past period, as well as for the restoration and reconstruction of the city, creating living conditions in it that meet modern requirements.

Former IDPs with permanent registration in Shusha and temporary residence in various locations will be furnished with newly built multi-story dwellings.

The initial draw included 20 families of martyrs, soldiers, and laborers participating in the city's construction, repair, and rehabilitation efforts.

They have been given housing that is appropriate for their family size (two, three, four, or five-room apartments).

The families chosen for the draw will be sent to Shusha in early May.

The drawing of lots among the families who will be resettled in the city will go step by step.

Following the liberation of its territories from Armenian occupation in 2020, Azerbaijan initiated the long-awaited 'Great Return' program, which envisions the return of IDPs to their native lands.