Azerbaijan has a large number of
internally displaced people
An internally displaced person (IDP) is someone who is forced to leave their home but who remains within their country's borders. They are often referred to as refugees, although they do not fall within the legal definitions of a refugee.
...
and refugees, mostly as a result of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is an ethnic and territorial conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, inhabited mostly by ethnic Armenians, and seven surrounding districts, inhabited mostly by Azerbaij ...
. The
First Nagorno-Karabakh war
The First Nagorno-Karabakh War, referred to in Armenia as the Artsakh Liberation War ( hy, Արցախյան ազատամարտ, Artsakhyan azatamart) was an ethnic and territorial conflict that took place from February 1988 to May 1994, in th ...
displaced 750,000 Azerbaijanis, with 600,000 of them being from
Nagorno-Karabakh
Nagorno-Karabakh ( ) is a landlocked country, landlocked region in the Transcaucasia, South Caucasus, within the mountainous range of Karabakh, lying between Lower Karabakh and Syunik Province, Syunik, and covering the southeastern range o ...
and the
surrounding districts and the 150,000 of them being from
Armenia
Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...
.
Refugees from Armenia
![Comparison table of armenian azeri kurdish population of armenia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/Comparison_table_of_armenian_azeri_kurdish_population_of_armenia.jpg)
According to the 1979 census, Azeris numbered 160,841 and constituted 5.3% of Armenia's population. Civil unrest in Nagorno-Karabakh in 1987 led to Azeris' being often harassed and forced to leave Armenia.
[The Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict]
by Svante Cornell. ''Sakharov-Center.ru'' On 25 January 1988, the first wave of Azeri refugees from Armenia settled in the city of
Sumgait
Sumgait (; az, Sumqayıt, ) is a city in Azerbaijan, located near the Caspian Sea, on the Absheron Peninsula, about away from the capital Baku. The city has a population of around 345,300, making it the second largest city in Azerbaijan after Ba ...
.
[Karabakh: Timeline of the Conflict]
''BBC Russian'' Another major wave occurred in November 1988
as Azeris were either expelled by the nationalists and local or state authorities
[After Independence](_blank)
by Lowell W. Barrington. University of Michigan Press, 2006; p. 231. or fled fearing for their lives.
Violence took place as a result of ethnic conflicts; in November 1988, 25 Azeris were killed, according to Armenian sources (of those 20 in the town of
Gugark
Gugark ( hy, Գուգարք, lat, Gogarene, Greek: ''Γογαρινή'') was the 13th province of the ancient kingdom of Armenia. It now comprises parts of northern Armenia, northeast Turkey, and southwest Georgia.
Etymology
Etymologically ...
during the
Gugark pogrom
The Gugark pogrom was a pogrom directed against the Azerbaijani minority of the Gugark District (now a part of the Lori Province) in the Armenian SSR, then part of the Soviet Union.
The pogrom of Azerbaijanis in Gugark in March 1988 followed ...
); and 217, according to Azerbaijani sources.
Thus, in 1988–91 the remaining Azeris were forced to flee primarily to Azerbaijan.
It is impossible to determine the exact population numbers for Azeris in Armenia at the time of the conflict's escalation since the 1989 census forced Azeri migration from Armenia was already in progress. UNHCR's estimate is 200,000 persons.
According to the Azerbaijani government at the time of the ceasefire in 1994 there were about 250,000 Azeri refugees from Armenia.
According to the
1998 Citizenship Law they are all eligible for citizenship. By the end of 2001, UNHCR estimated that most of them were believed to have naturalized or be in the process of doing so.
Internally displaced persons from Nagorno-Karabakh and the adjacent territories
![Refugeesaz](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/ff/Refugeesaz.jpg)
During the
First Nagorno-Karabakh War
The First Nagorno-Karabakh War, referred to in Armenia as the Artsakh Liberation War ( hy, Արցախյան ազատամարտ, Artsakhyan azatamart) was an ethnic and territorial conflict that took place from February 1988 to May 1994, in th ...
, territories constituting the former
NKAO
The Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO), DQMV, hy, Լեռնային Ղարաբաղի Ինքնավար Մարզ, ԼՂԻՄ was an autonomous oblast within the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic that was created on July 7, 1923. Its ca ...
region of Azerbaijan and the
seven adjacent districts (some of them partly) were occupied by the Armenian forces. As a result, non-Armenians had to leave their homes. Azerbaijan now has one of the highest numbers of internally displaced persons (IDPs) per capita in the world.
The IDPs are presented in all of the 76 administrative districts in Azerbaijan. Initially, most of them lived in tent camps and public buildings such as schools, hostels, and dormitories. Since 2001, the Government increased its efforts to solve IDPs' problems. In 2002, the construction of new settlements started, and by the end of 2007, all tent camps were abolished.
The Government of Azerbaijan with the help of the international community has started drafting a Framework Plan for the Return of IDPs to the occupied regions after the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict (
The Great Return Programme
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
).
Meskhetian Turks
In 1944,
Meskhetian Turks
Meskhetian Turks, also referred to as Turkish Meskhetians, Ahiska Turks, and Turkish Ahiskans, ( ka, მესხეთის თურქები ''Meskhetis turk'ebi'') are an ethnic subgroup of Turks formerly inhabiting the Meskheti regio ...
were deported en masse from
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
to
Central Asia
Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...
by
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secreta ...
. One of the regions they resettled in was
Fergana Valley
The Fergana Valley (; ; ) in Central Asia lies mainly in eastern Uzbekistan, but also extends into southern Kyrgyzstan and northern Tajikistan.
Divided into three republics of the former Soviet Union, the valley is ethnically diverse and in the ...
,
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked cou ...
. In 1989, interethnic violence occurred there triggering an evacuation of Meskhetian Turks from Uzbekistan. This group of refugees in Azerbaijan numbered about 50,000 people. According to the 1998 Citizenship Law, they are all eligible for citizenship. By the end of 2001,
UNHCR
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people, and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, local integrati ...
estimated that most of them were believed to have naturalized.
Statistics
According to
State Committee of Azerbaijan for Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons, there were 603,251 IDPs in Azerbaijan in March 2009. The majority live in and around Baku, as well as in Sumgayit. Significant numbers of
IDPs also live along the central-southern route of
Fuzuli–
Aghdam–
Aghjabadi
Aghjabadi ( az, Ağcabədi) is a city in and the capital of the Aghjabadi District of Azerbaijan. It is situated in central Azerbaijan.
Notable natives
* Uzeyir Hajibeyov — composer. He is recognized as the father of Azerbaijani classical mu ...
–
Barda–
Mingechevir
Mingachevir ( az, Mingəçevir ) is the fourth-largest city in Azerbaijan with a population of about 106,000. It's often called the "city of lights" because of its hydroelectric power station on the Kur River, which divides the city down the mid ...
–
Ganja
Ganja (, ; ) is one of the oldest and most commonly used synonyms for marijuana. Its usage in English dates to before 1689.
Etymology
''Ganja'' is borrowed from Hindi/Urdu ( hi, गांजा, links=no, ur, , links=no, IPA: aːɲd ...
, the northern route of
Shamakhi
Shamakhi ( az, Şamaxı, ) is a city in Azerbaijan and the administrative centre of the Shamakhi District. The city's estimated population was 31,704. It is famous for its traditional dancers, the Shamakhi Dancers, and also for perhaps giving it ...
–
Ismayilli–
Qabala
Qabala ( az, Qəbələ) is a city and the administrative centre of the Qabala District of Azerbaijan. The municipality consists of the city of Gabala and the village of Küsnat. Before the city was known as Kutkashen, but after the Republic of ...
–
Shaki and the southern route of
Sabirabad–
Saatly–
Imishli
Imishli District ( az, İmişli rayonu) is one of the 66 districts of Azerbaijan. It is located in the centre of the country and belongs to the Central Aran Economic Region. The district borders the districts of Beylagan, Zardab, Kurdamir, Sabi ...
–
Beylagan
Beylagan District ( az, Beyləqan rayonu) is one of the 66 districts of Azerbaijan. It is located in the centre of the country and belongs to the Central Aran Economic Region. The district borders the districts of Fuzuli, Aghjabadi, Zardab, Imis ...
.
Problems
Although relations between IDPs and the local population are generally amicable and there is a high level of tolerance among the local population, there are instances of conflicts arising due to the special status of IDPs (such as privileged access to employment, government financial assistance, free health services and property ownership privileges).
Gallery
File:Azerbaijani refugees from Karabakh 24.jpg,
File:Azerbaijani refugees from Karabakh.jpg,
File:Azerbaijani refugees from Karabakh 12.jpg,
File:Azerbaijani refugees from Karabakh 11.jpg,
File:Azerbaijani refugees from Karabakh 15.jpg,
File:Azerbaijani refugees from Karabakh in Yevlakh.jpg,
File:Azerbaijani refugees from Karabakh 14.jpg,
File:Azerbaijani refugees from Karabakh 2.jpg,
File:Azerbaijani refugees from Karabakh 4.jpg,
File:Azerbaijani refugees from Karabakh 6.jpg,
File:Azerbaijani refugees from Karabakh 3.jpg,
File:Azerbaijani refugees from Karabakh 20.jpg,
File:Azerbaijani refugees from Karabakh 25.jpg,
File:Azerbaijani refugees from Karabakh 17.jpg,
File:Azerbaijani refugees from Karabakh 9.jpg,
File:Azerbaijani refugees from Karabakh 21.jpg,
File:Azerbaijani refugees from Karabakh 26.jpg,
File:Azerbaijani refugees from Karabakh 5.jpg,
File:Azerbaijani refugees from Karabakh 7.jpg,
File:Azerbaijani refugees from Karabakh during the war 3.jpg,
File:Azerbaijani refugees from Karabakh during the war 2.jpg,
File:Azerbaijani refugees from Karabakh during the war 14.jpg,
File:Azerbaijani refugee from Karabakh.jpg,
File:Azerbaijani refugees from Kalbajar.jpg,
File:Azerbaijani refugee child from Karabakh.jpg,
File:Azerbaijani refugees from Karabakh during the war 8.jpg,
References
External links
The impact of the global food crisis on Azerbaijan - in pictures
*
ttp://www.unhcr.org The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugeesbr>
The U.S. Committee for Refugees and ImmigrantsThe Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC)Danish Refugee Council
{{DEFAULTSORT:Refugees in Azerbaijan
Ethnic cleansing in Asia
Ethnic cleansing in Europe
Society of Azerbaijan
Anti-Azerbaijanism