Geghard: Baku continues to maintain occupied Artsakh as closed zone

ArmInfo. The Azerbaijani authorities continue to maintain occupied Artsakh as a closed zone, where the activities and freedom of movement of so-called "Azerbaijani displaced persons" are restricted. This was stated in a statement by the press service of the Geghard scientific and analytical foundation in response to Azerbaijani media reports about "the dispatch of another group of Azerbaijanis" to Nagorno-Karabakh.

Geghard noted that similar materials with photographs are published  in Azerbaijani media almost weekly.  However, the foundation is  confident that the photographs depicting "happy faces of Azerbaijanis  and applause for their return" are far from reality. In support of  this, Geghard noted that several days ago, at a regular session of  the Azerbaijani parliament, MP Razi Nurullayev made a noteworthy  statement, speaking out against the state building houses for "those  returning to Nagorno-Karabakh" and instead proposing to create  favorable living conditions.

"According to the MP, people should build their own homes to become  more attached to the land.  However, Nurullayev's speech demonstrates  that, in reality, many of those 'returning' subsequently return to  Baku. He believes that for the 'reconstruction' of Artsakh, it is not  enough to implement only state-funded projects; the private sector  should also be allowed to operate outside the special economic zones.   Responding to Nurullayev, some MPs attempted to justify the  government's investments and policies in the occupied territories.  Even the Speaker of the Azerbaijani Parliament, Sahiba Gafarova,  intervened, noting that no one was forced to return; everything is  happening voluntarily," the foundation's statement noted.

"Geghard" further noted that, according to official Azerbaijani data,  approximately 75,000 people have "relocated" to Artsakh. "The  photographs being circulated show that a significant portion of the  so-called displaced persons are elderly. This means that even the  provision of free housing or an apartment and work in a garment  factory is not very attractive to people, especially young families  who have permanently resided in Baku and other cities of Azerbaijan.  Furthermore, people are often resettled to places where they have  never lived. For example, Haterk, Karmir Shuka, and other settlements  in Artsakh, which were exclusively Armenian during the Soviet years,"  Geghard explained.