Legislative acts concerning refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) adopted by the Milli Majlis (National Assembly) over the past 35 years are transitioning into history as new laws governing the Great Return are established. This current legislative shift marks a significant chapter in the nation's history, symbolizing the end of the era of occupation and displacement and the beginning of a new century of victory.
According to the Operative Information Center-OMM, citing AZERTAC, this statement was made by Zahid Oruj, chairman of the parliamentary committee, during a joint session of the Milli Majlis committees on Labor and Social Policy, Human Rights, and Legal Policy and State Building.
Oruj noted that amendments to the Housing Code will establish the "Fund for Permanent Settlement in Liberated Territories." Under these changes, residential properties will be transferred to citizens based on ownership rights rather than rental agreements. Furthermore, amendments to the Law "On the Status of Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons" clarify the legal criteria for the loss of status when an individual receives new housing in liberated areas or declines such an opportunity.
The committee chair also highlighted changes to the Law "On Social Protection of Internally Displaced Persons," which specifies that social protection measures will continue for a period of three years, calculated from the date the status is relinquished. Transitional provisions ensure that IDPs who have already received housing in the new territories prior to the law's entry into force will also be eligible for these legal privileges, effectively integrating historical memory, social protection, economic development, and national restoration into a unified legal framework.
"For thirty years, Azerbaijani citizens were presented on global platforms as 'refugees' or 'internally displaced persons.' From this day forward, they are gaining a new legal identity," Oruj stated. "They are no longer recipients of aid, but representatives of a victorious nation who are the rightful owners of their land, their homes, and their future."
The Great Return program is a strategic initiative by the Republic of Azerbaijan aimed at rebuilding liberated territories, including Shusha, Aghdam, Fuzuli, and Jabrayil, and facilitating the dignified return of former IDPs to their ancestral lands.
