50 families of forced migrants returned to the Khojavend and Shusha districts.

In the villages of Khojavend and Shusha districts, more than 220 family members of forced migrants returned today.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", on July 8, 210 members of Azerbaijani families who left these settlements during the Karabakh conflict returned to the villages of Khojavend and Shusha districts.

Today, families previously temporarily housed in various regions of Azerbaijan – mainly in dormitories, sanatoriums, and administrative buildings – resettled in the villages located in the former conflict zone of Karabakh, as reported by Report.az.

In the village of Guzeykhyrman in the Khojavend district, 18 families (a total of 82 people) resettled, in the village of Gyuneykhyrman 21 families (a total of 103 people), and in the village of Kichik Galaderesi in the Shusha district – 11 families (a total of 39 people), the APA agency reported today.

"Caucasian Knot" also reported that the capture of Shusha by Azerbaijani forces in November 2020 was a key event in the escalation of the Karabakh conflict in the fall of 2020. On September 19-20, 2023, Azerbaijan conducted a military operation in Nagorno-Karabakh, and on September 28, 2023, a decree was published by the president of Nagorno-Karabakh Samvel Shahramanyan on the cessation of the existence of the Republic of Artsakh (Artsakh is the Armenian name for Nagorno-Karabakh). From January 1, 2024, Nagorno-Karabakh ceased to exist.

Returning residents of Azerbaijan in Karabakh previously told "Caucasian Knot" that they are settling in and finding work. The migrants noted improvements in living conditions, although issues with employment and infrastructure remained.

In November 2023, shortly after the end of hostilities, the Azerbaijani authorities announced their intention to return 34,500 families, or 140,000 people, to the former conflict zone of Karabakh by the end of 2026. Roads, energy facilities, and housing are being built in the region; however, the pace of resettlement is hindered by mine danger, a lack of jobs, and unresolved land use issues, analysts noted in April of this year.