Main focus of the Azerbaijan government's investment policy in 2021–2023 continued to be the revitalization of territories liberated from Armenian occupation. As of today, multiple plans to create primary roads, energy and communal infrastructure have already been implemented and new projects are being launched to rebuild settlements in accordance with the I State Program "Great Return to the Liberated Territories".

Relevant works are also being accelerated in the Kalbajar district, where a meeting of the Working Group on Urban Development was held on September 7. The participants of the meeting discussed what has already been done, outlining the terms for the construction of housing and the beginning of the return of former IDPs to their homes in 2024.

Since the end of the Patriotic War,  Azerbaijan has been carrying out large-scale restoration of transport, energy and communal infrastructure, as well as creating industrial clusters within the framework of the program for the revival of the territories liberated from occupation. Along with primary infrastructure restoration projects, the priority goal of the I State Program "Great Return" is the accelerated formation of communal and social infrastructure, the the the construction of housing, development of production and creation of new jobs, which will make it possible to revive vital activity in the Garabagh and Eastern Zangazur economic regions of the country in the near future.

In particular, it is planned to build about three and a half tens of thousands of apartments and individual houses in the liberated territories by 2027, where 34.5 thousand families of former IDPs will be gradually resettled.

Preparations for the resettlement of citizens are actively underway in Shusha, Zangilan, Fuzuli, and Aghdam districts, where large-scale construction of housing is underway.

Similar works have been carried out in other parts of the territories liberated from occupation, including in the district of Kalbajar.

One of the most important issues touched on during the meeting concerned ensuring the safety of construction workers, future resettlers, and employees of various services in this regard, large-scale demining and clearing of the territories of unexploded ordnance is being carried out in the Kalbajar district.

During the meeting it was noted that i 2023, it is planned to clear 1105.19 hectares of the territory of settlements of Kalbajar district from mines, in particular, in the first eight months of 2023, 653.46 hectares of the district's territory have already been demined.

A comparable scale of work was done last year - 983.71 hectares of territory was cleared of explosive objects, he added.

Achievements in demining the territories of this high-mountainous district have contributed to the expansion of the work front for laying communications, construction of facilities, etc. Thus, this year seven settlements are to be designed in Kalbajar district - Istisu, Gamishli, Chaikand, Nadirkhanli, Gılınjli, Otagli and Chirag villages, and next year four more villages - Chapli, Kashdak, Dalgılınjli, and Imanbinasi - will be designed. In general, by 2026, it is planned to restore a total of 15 settlements in this district, including the administrative center, one settlement, and 13 villages.

During the meeting, it was also noted that in 2024, about 13 thousand people will return to the liberated from occupation district.

The “Great Return” state program pays considerable attention to the formation of agro-industrial, trade, service, and other complexes and, the construction of communal, social, and other institutions, the activities of which will provide jobs for returning citizens. Here it should be noted that according to the studies of recent years, Kalbajar, which is part of the Eastern Zangazur economic region, has a significant economic potential based on considerable natural resources.

The work on the development of the energy infrastructure of the Kalbajar district is also actively promoted. In particular, by efforts of "Azerenerji" OJSC two years ago 110/35/10-kilovolt substation "Kalbajar" was put into operation here and construction of five small (derivation) hydroelectric power plants with a total capacity of 27 MW was almost completed.

By the first quarter of 2024, 10 small HPPs with a total capacity of 75.5 MW will be built on the rivers and reservoirs of this high-mountainous district, capable of producing about 230 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually.

Analytic group of News.az

The article focuses on the theme of Great Return to the liberated territories

The article was published with the support of the Media Development Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan (MEDIA)