The Letter of Intent was signed among the State Committee, IFRC and AzRCS under the project supported by the EU and the IFRC
On July 26, under the project called “Bridging the Gap between Community Needs and Local Capacities and Capabilities of the Civil Society Actors in Azerbaijan” supported by the European Union (EU) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Rovshan Rzayev, the chairman of the State Committee for Refugees and IDPs, met with Novruz Aslanov, the president of the Azerbaijan Red Crescent Society (AzRCS), MP, and Davron Mukhamadiev, the Head of the South Caucasus Country Cluster Delegation of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
At the meeting, the guests were informed about the work done by the committee on the implementation of the State Program on the Great Return of the IDPs and the progress of informative campaigning in this direction, and the initial results of resettlement. It was reported that by the order of President Ilham Aliyev, the necessary conditions are being created for the safety and comfortable living of IDPs in their homeland. It was brought to attention that 236 families and 1023 people have been relocated to the newly built and restored settlements in Karabakh region within the framework of the Great Return. During the polls conducted among IDPs, the absolute majority of them expressed their desire to return to their native lands.
The chairman of the State Committee highly valued the support of international organizations, including the IFRC, in solving the humanitarian problems related to refugees and internally displaced persons in our country, expressed his deep satisfaction with the intention to continue this support during the Great Return process, and emphasized the importance of long-term cooperation with the AzRCS.
The AzRCS president Novruz Aslanov said that the institution headed by him, as the largest non-governmental organization of our country, considers the continuous support for the successful implementation of the state policy in the field of work with refugees and internally displaced persons as his most important direction of activity, and that he actively participates in meeting the humanitarian needs of people who have been bereaved by long-term displacement as well as pointed out that he is trying to fulfill his duties properly even at the time when the Great Return has begun.
Davron Mukhamadiev, the Head of the South Caucasus Country Cluster Delegation of the IFRC, expressed his gratitude for the warm reception, his views on the main directions of the activities carried out in accordance with his mandate in Azerbaijan, the measures he can take regarding the IDPs return to the region, as well as the possibilities of cooperation with the State Committee in the new situation.
At the meeting, opinions were exchanged on issues of mutual interest.
In the end, the State Committee for Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijan Red Crescent Society and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies signed a Letter of Intent regarding partnership on the project funded by the European Union called the Bridging the gap between community needs and local capacities and capabilities of the civil society actors in Azerbaijan.