Addressing the event, Azerbaijan’s Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the State Committee for Affairs of Refugees and IDPs Ali Hasanov noted that the World Refugee Day has been marked for 16 years.

Hasanov pointed out that Azerbaijan has been facing Armenian occupation of its lands for 25 years.

“The UN Security Council and other international organizations adopted numerous resolutions and decisions that call for the liberation of the occupied Azerbaijani territories. However, these resolutions still remain unfulfilled,” he said.

Chairman at International Eurasia Press Fund Umud Mirzoyev said that Azerbaijan is experiencing painful consequences of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

He noted that the possibility of escalation in the conflict poses a threat to sustainable development.

“We believe that appointment of the former head of UN High Commissioner for Refugees as UN Secretary-General will give impetus to solving problems in this area,” Mirzoyev added.

Furio De Angelis, Head of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Baku Office, noted that the number of internal displaced people worldwide reached 65.6 million at the end of 2016, which are 300,000 people more compared to the preceding year. Of the displaced, 22.5 million are refugees, 40.3 are IDPs, and 2.8 million are people left their country seeking international asylum.

Angelis pointed out that the Azerbaijani people are known for their hospitality.

“Azerbaijan has experienced the problem of refugee and IDP because of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. However, Azerbaijan chose a path of development and is now one of the countries in Europe with the highest numbers of displaced persons,” he said. “Today, we welcome the project aimed at providing housing for 4,000 IDPs. I congratulate the government of Azerbaijan on the first return of IDPs to Jojug Marjanli.”

In the end, young IDPs performed music.

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