President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva have examined the works accomplished in the village of Zabukh of the Lachin district and met with villagers here.

Chairman of the State Committee for Affairs of Refugees and IDPs Rovshan Rzayev briefed the head of state and the First Lady on the works to be done in the village.

A total of 245 families are planned to be relocated to the village of Zabukh. The first phase will see the resettlement of 223 families. An administrative building, a 50-seat kindergarten, and a medical station were built in the village. The “green energy” will be used to light houses and illuminate the streets.

On August 25, 20 families already returned to the village.

The head of state and the First Lady had a conversation with the villagers.

President Ilham Aliyev: Salam aleykum.

Residents: Hello. Welcome, Mr. Commander-in-Chief! Nice to meet you!

Resident (to Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva): Congratulations!

Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva: Thank you.

Residents: Welcome to this paradise you have created.

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you.

Female resident (to Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva): I congratulate you. Live to be 100, and may Allah bless you with robust health.

Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva: Thank you very much. May Allah bless everyone with good health.

President Ilham Aliyev: I congratulate you and welcome to your homeland.

Residents: Thank you, Allah bless you. This is a paradise you have created. We are back.

President Ilham Aliyev: After 31 years.

Resident: Yes, may Allah help you. I haven't been here for 31 years and 102 days. I am here today.

President Ilham Aliyev: On what date did you leave Zabukh?

Resident: I left on May 16, 1992.

President Ilham Aliyev: The city of Lachin was not occupied yet. They occupied this place first.

Resident: Yes. May Allah grant you a long life.

President Ilham Aliyev: Where did you live during these years?

Resident: During these years, I lived in Sarigaya, then I lived in a hostel in Sumgayit. Now I have a private house on the Guba road where I used to live.

President Ilham Aliyev: You are now back to your homeland. There can be no greater happiness than this. The village of Zabukh is also getting a completely new appearance.

Resident: Thank you very much, and may Allah help you. You have created a paradise for us. May Allah bless you.

President Ilham Aliyev: You arrived yesterday. You are one of the first settlers. After 31 years, our citizens are returning to their ancestral lands. There can be no greater happiness than this. I am sure you always believed that this day would come.

Resident: It has come, thanks to you. May Allah grant you a long life. The work you did in the media during the 44-day war was the work of a large army of journalists, an army of reporters. You put everyone back where they belong. It is a great day today also because it is the birthday of Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva. We all wish Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva a long life and good health. May Allah grant you a long life.

President Ilham Aliyev: Today is the Lachin City Day. Because on August 26, this day last year, our army entered the city of Lachin. Thus, August 26 will be celebrated as Lachin City Day from now on. Days of all our liberated cities have been established. By my decree, the next holiday will be held in Fuzuli on October 17.

Resident: Inshallah. May we have many victories, and may our flag fly high.

Elderly woman: Welcome.

President Ilham Aliyev: You are also welcome.

Elderly woman: May Allah bless you. I have one request from you. My son has passed away, so I want to give his room to my deceased son's wife. Please arrange it.

President Ilham Aliyev: Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva will take care of it.

Female resident: Her son has passed away. She wants her grandkids to be close to her.

President Ilham Aliyev: Does she want them to come here?

Resident: Yes, let them come here.

President Ilham Aliyev: Of course, they should come.

Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva: Where are they now?

Resident: In Khirdalan.

President Ilham Aliyev: Of course, they will come. In other words, all natives of Zabukh will come here. How is your home? Is it comfortable?

Residents: Comfortable. Everything is great.

President Ilham Aliyev: The elderly lady’s close relatives will probably come here too after some time. She would like their place to be close to hers. Please organize that.

Rovshan Rzayev: Will be done.

President Ilham Aliyev: All natives of Zabukh will return here. I have no doubt about that. When we started this construction work, I said that a survey should be conducted among the former IDPs. According to the information I was given, most of the displaced people, the absolute majority of them, decided to return. This is why the people of Zabukh will return. Because work is still underway in some of the houses here.

Elderly woman: May Allah rest the soul of your father is peace. Amen.

President Ilham Aliyev: May Allah have mercy on all our deceased and the martyrs. Thanks to them, thanks to our Army, we are here today. Did you draw this wall?

Rovshan Rzayev: Yes, retaining walls have been built.

President Ilham Aliyev: A retaining wall, but there should also be access to the river.

Rovshan Rzayev: There is a separate entrance to the river from this spring, from the side of this spring, behind it.

President Ilham Aliyev: No, I mean access to the river. I can see that you have built the wall, and people cannot approach the river. You should make entrances. You should make openings in these walls in different places, make a staircase perhaps so that people can approach the river.

Rovshan Rzayev: Will be done.

Masim Mammadov: Like the Hakari, this river has been widened and dug out to make it a little broader.

President Ilham Aliyev: Of course, you should open it shortly so that there is access.

Masim Mammadov: Will be done.

President Ilham Aliyev: Children and elderly people should be able to come here, to the bank of the river, to cool off and catch some fish.

Resident: May Allah grant you a long life, thanks to you, the village of Zabukh is known even in the UN. The village of Zabukh is already famous all over the world. May Allah grant you a long life. Thank you very much.

President Ilham Aliyev: Armenians came and settled here illegally. They even said they were not leaving here. You have probably seen that footage.

Residents: We have seen it all. May Allah grant you a long life.

President Ilham Aliyev: They gave it some ugly name. Let's have a picture taken.

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Pictures were taken.

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Residents: There are good memories, wonderful memories. It will be available in all our homes. Everyone will have it, Inshallah.

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you.

Residents: May Allah help you.

President Ilham Aliyev: Probably, all the people of Zabukh will come here in the next few months.

Resident: Inshallah, they will.

Residents: Happy birthday. Thanks to you, we have a wonderful holiday.

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you, the whole city is ready. You will probably go and see it. It is a beautiful city.

Residents: Inshallah, we will go and see. We are overjoyed and proud today.

President Ilham Aliyev: When I came to Lachin in September last year, it was still in ruins.

Resident: And now, thank Allah. Our Great Leader always said in his speeches that the time would come, the time would come when refugees and internally displaced persons would return to their homeland. That day is today, and we are here.

President Ilham Aliyev: Yes, that day is today.

Resident: We are overwhelmed with joy. Thank you very much. You are continuing that work. Thank you very much.

President Ilham Aliyev: Armenians occupied this place, illegally settled here, brought Armenians from abroad and built houses for themselves. All of those houses are gone. I said that the people of Zabukh should live in the houses built by the state of Azerbaijan.

Resident: Thank you very much. We appreciate that.

President Ilham Aliyev: Those houses have already been consigned to history. The city of Lachin was completely destroyed. You will probably go and see what a beautiful city it is now.

Resident: That’s very true. There were certain forces, external forces, but nevertheless, you single-handedly faced all of them and gave them a fitting response. You put them all back where they belong. This is a historic day.

Resident: Victory in the 44-day war is a historic day.

President Ilham Aliyev: Indeed, the Armenians did not intend to return any district of their own will. In the negotiations, they said that they were ready to return five districts, but Lachin and Kalbadjar should remain under their control. Because their strategic location is important from the point of view of security. The strategic importance of Lachin and Kalbadjar districts is enormous.

Resident: Mr. President, you said once that it looked as if a barbaric tribe had passed through here.

President Ilham Aliyev: Yes.

Resident: Indeed, when we came to the district, we saw that even a wild tribe couldn’t compare to them. It looked as though they had eaten the stones.

President Ilham Aliyev: Yes, you saw that all the houses were in ruins. They left everything in ruins - Aghdam, Fuzuli, Jabrayli, Gubadli. You have come here along that road, from Gubadli, and you must have seen that there is not a single safe building, neither in the city nor in the villages.

Residents: Yes, there is nothing at all there. But you alone did what the whole world didn't see and didn't do. You fought with everyone. All our lands will be like Zabukh.

President Ilham Aliyev: Even now, some of Armenia’s foreign patrons do not want to see this. As if this invasion did not happen, as if this brutality and hostility did not happen. Those who have been silent for 30 years or those who justified Armenian occupation now file claims against us, criticize and accuse us. We are a nation of builders. What Armenia had been destroying for 30 years, we have been building for two years. We have built this, and people have returned here. We are on our own land. This was the ancient land of Azerbaijan. The ugly names they gave these places during the occupation mean nothing. That name went to hell with them.

Resident: You chased them away like dogs.

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you. Stay safe and live happily.

Residents: Thank you, may Allah bless you.

Resident: This is the elder of our village.

President Ilham Aliyev: Salam aleykum.

Resident: Salam aleykum. It is nice to see you. May Allah always have the road ahead of you open, and may you hold your head high.

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you.

Resident: As you always say, you know what, when and where to do. Thank you.

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you. You have now returned to your homeland. I congratulate you.

Resident: Yes, it's a huge day. Thank you very much. We appreciate that.

President Ilham Aliyev: Congratulations. Goodbye.

Resident: Good luck to all our people. Thanks to you, we have returned to our homes. Thank you very much.

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you. Are the houses along the street ready?

Resident: Yes. They were in the first phase.

President Ilham Aliyev: Salam aleykum.

Another resident: Welcome, Mr. President.

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you, It is a pleasure to see you.

Resident: May Allah grant you a long life and good health. Thank you for giving us this happiness.

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you. How do you feel in your native land?

Resident: Very good, yes, we are on home soil. May Allah grant you a long life and good health.

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you. Let's have a picture taken. Did you arrive yesterday?

Resident: Yes, we came yesterday.

President Ilham Aliyev: Where did you live before now?

Resident: In the city of Sumgayit.

President Ilham Aliyev: How were your conditions?

Resident: We lived in a hostel.

President Ilham Aliyev: What is it like here? Is it good?

Resident: It is great. May Allah grant you a long life.

Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva: Hello, congratulations!

Resident: Mrs. Aliyeva, it is your birthday today. We wish you a happy birthday. May Allah grant you a long life and good health.

Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva: Thank you.

Resident: Congratulations on behalf of all Azerbaijani women.

Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva: Thank you, thank you very much.

President Ilham Aliyev: Where did you live before?

Resident: In Absheron, Mr. President.

President Ilham Aliyev: We have come to meet with you.

Residents: Hello. You are welcome. May Allah give you a long life and protect you. We are all extremely happy.

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you.

Resident: I really wanted to meet you. I have always been proud of you.

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you, thank you very much.

Resident: It is the day when our 30-year-long dream came true. May Allah have mercy on your father, and may you always be with us.

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you. We are all living happy days.

Residents: We are very happy because of you. May Allah give you a long life. May you live long. May you always be there for us.

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you, How are things here?

Residents: Very good, excellent.

President Ilham Aliyev: You came yesterday. You are probably still moving in. Of course, living in the native land is a great happiness.

Resident: Indeed. We also wish Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva a happy birthday.

Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva: Thank you, thank you very much.

President Ilham Aliyev: Where did you live?

Resident: In a hostel in Pirshaghi, Baku.

President Ilham Aliyev: Now you are back in your native land and live in this beautiful house in this beautiful village.

Resident: Our place is like a paradise, yes.

President Ilham Aliyev: The city of Lachin has now become a beautiful city.

Resident: May Allah give you a long life.

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you.

Resident: Tonight, we are very comfortable in our motherland, in our place.

Another resident: This is my grandson.

President Ilham Aliyev: How did you come here? Were you excited? Children will appreciate the air of Zabukh.

Resident: I lived here for 37 years; now I am 68 years old. I am retired. May Allah give you a long life. Everything is good thanks to you.

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you, and stay safe.

Resident: Thank you very much.

Another resident: Mr. President, can I take a picture with you?

President Ilham Aliyev: Sure. Salam aleykum. We are glad to see you.

Male resident: You are welcome.

President Ilham Aliyev: You are welcome. Hello. I congratulate you.

Resident: Hello, you are welcome. Thank you very much. Thank you for giving us this joy.

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you, and live here happily.

Residents: Thank you, thank you very much, may Allah bless you. We are grateful, thank you.

President Ilham Aliyev: Hello.

Resident: Welcome. May Allah protect you.

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you. You are also welcome.

Resident: You ended many years of longing and gave us this joy. Thank you very much. May Allah give you a long life.

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you, thank you very much. I wish you a long life, happiness, and a happy life in your native land.

Residents: Thank you very much, we are very pleased. May Allah give you a long life.

President Ilham Aliyev: Where did you live during the occupation?

Resident: In Sumgayit.

President Ilham Aliyev: In Sumgayit. What were the conditions like? Did you live in a state-provided home?

Resident: We lived in a hostel.

President Ilham Aliyev: You lived in a hostel during the entire period of occupation? Did you go straight there after you left here?

Resident: No, we lived in several places, and that was the last one.

President Ilham Aliyev: In Sumgayit.

Resident: Thank goodness we are in our own homeland, in our own homes, in our own village. Thank you very much. We are very pleased; we are grateful to you as a family, thank you very much.

President Ilham Aliyev: The Lachin district is developing now. Lachin is one of our beautiful cities. You will probably go and see it.

Resident: Everything is perfect; we saw it yesterday. Thank you very much.

President Ilham Aliyev: Did you go and see it?

Resident: They received us very well. They showed us great respect. Thank you very much, thank you.

President Ilham Aliyev: You will now live here.

Resident: Thank you, Allah bless you.

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you, I wish you good health.

Resident: Hello, Mr. President, welcome.

President Ilham Aliyev: You are also welcome.

Resident: You honored us with your arrival. May Allah bless you for giving us this beautiful joy.

President Ilham Aliyev: I congratulate you.

Resident: Thank you very much.

President Ilham Aliyev: How is it?

Resident: Thank you, thank you very much.

President Ilham Aliyev: You are in your native village.

Resident: Yes.

President Ilham Aliyev: After 31 years.

Resident: You gave us another life. Thank you very much.

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank Allah, the village is also beautiful.

Resident: May Allah have mercy on all our martyrs. We wish you good health too.

President Ilham Aliyev: May Allah rest their souls in peace. Be healthy, live happily, build and create.

Resident: Thank you very much. It's Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva’s birthday too. We congratulate you.

President Ilham Aliyev: Children are probably seeing Lachin and Zabukh village for the first time. How is it? Were you excited to come here?

Resident: Yes, yes. We were very happy. God bless you.

President Ilham Aliyev: You probably lived in the city? In Baku?

Resident: In Sumgayit.

President Ilham Aliyev: I am sure that you will see how beautiful these conditions are. The key thing is that you will live on your native land, live on liberated lands, and live here with pride.

Resident: Can we take a picture?

President Ilham Aliyev: Yes, let's take a picture.

Resident: We also congratulate Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva.

Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva: Hello, I also congratulate you, thank you very much.

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Pictures were taken.

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President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you.

Resident: You are welcome, Mr. President, you are welcome.

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you.

Residents: Congratulations, thank you.

Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva: Thank you very much.

President Ilham Aliyev: Hello, congratulations.

Resident: Hello, thank you very much.

President Ilham Aliyev: Hello, son.

Resident: Thank you. Say “Hello, grandpa.”

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you.

Resident: May Allah always have you there for us.

President Ilham Aliyev: Hello, congratulations.

Resident: Congratulations, thank you very much. We are grateful.

President Ilham Aliyev: Let's take a picture.

Resident: Take a picture with the grandpa.

President Ilham Aliyev: You had a nice good jacket. Did you take it off? The word Azerbaijan was written on it.

Resident: Thank you.

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you.

Resident: Come on here, come here.

President Ilham Aliyev: Hello, we are glad to see you. Welcome.

Resident: Hello, you are welcome. Always visit our village.

President Ilham Aliyev: Salam aleykum. Where did you live before?

Resident: In Shirvan. This is our ancestral land. I have come. I was gone for such a long time, for 32 years, and I didn’t sleep at all last night. May Allah bless you. This is all thanks to you.

President Ilham Aliyev: I hope you live happily here.

Resident: You have suffered more than us.

President Ilham Aliyev: All our people share your joy.

Resident: Mr. President, you are welcome.

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you.

Resident: We are proud today. We have these lands back. Be there for us, Mr. President!

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you.

Resident: My grandson also has a word.

President Ilham Aliyev: Yes, please.

Child: Dear Mr. President, Commander-in-Chief, dear First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva, we are very glad to see you in our native village of Zabukh. Mr. President, thank you for building such a beautiful school for us the kids.

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you, thank you very much.

Resident: May Allah bless you.

President Ilham Aliyev: I congratulate you. Welcome to your homeland.

Resident: You have built such a beautiful village in such a beautiful place.

Another resident: Mr. President, the people of Lachin also like you very much. A few years ago, you celebrated your birthday with the people of Lachin in Takhtakorpu settlement. It is Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva's birthday today. We take this opportunity to wish you a happy birthday on behalf of all the residents.

President Ilham Aliyev: Yes, you are right. I said then that the day would come and you would return to your native land. That day has come.

Residents: That day is today. Thank you. May Allah bless you.

President Ilham Aliyev: Congratulations, thank you.

Resident: I also want to take a picture with you.

President Ilham Aliyev: Let's have a picture taken.

Resident: We all like you very much, we believe in you, we trust you.

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you and stay safe. Thank you, I wish you good health and a long life.

Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva: I will come again.

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you, I wish you all good health.

Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva: Thank you.