Azerbaijani Village Seen As Model For Development, Reunification With Nagorniy Karabakh

A small village lying along Azerbaijan’s southern border with Iran, showcased as a good omen for the start of the “great return” of the Nagorniy Karabakh region to Azerbaijani control, has been rebuilt and will soon embrace both new and old residents.

On June 14, President Ilham Aliyev inspected new houses constructed in Jojug Marjanli village, where he met with members of the Haziyev family. The Haziyevs never abandoned their village after it had been wrestled from Armenia in 1994, during what was a bloody five year long conflict between two newly independent states that were formed after the breakup of the Soviet Union.

Just five months ago, however, Jojug Marjanli lay in ruins.

Jojug Marjanli had been impossible to rebuild, even though it was no longer under Armenian occupation because the strategic Lala Tapa hilltop that overlooks the village had been controlled by Armenian troops until last year. Jojug Marjanli remained under constant fire for over two decades, rendering it unsafe for residents to return.

But during the Four-Day War in April 2016, during the worst eruption of violence between Armenia and Azerbaijan since 1994, the Azerbaijani military recaptured Lala Tapa, effectively ending any threat posed to the village, paving the way for its rebirth, and inspiring hope across a country that has been deeply scarred by foreign occupation.

“This village has a special place in Azerbaijan's history,” President Aliyev said at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 14. “You are well aware that Jojug Marjanli village was under Armenian occupation only for a few months. [But] today, Jojug Marjanli is a symbol of rebirth, our victory. The Azerbaijani flag is flying on the lands liberated in April 2016. It pleases everyone who is a patriot and a citizen of Azerbaijan.”

Although neighbors in the South Caucasus region, the relationship between Azerbaijan and Armenia has been anything but friendly. As early as 1988 Armenian nationalists tried to seize control of the Nagorniy Karabakh region, which lies fully inside Azerbaijan’s internationally recognized borders, on grounds that its ethnic Armenian population is a reason for incorporation.

Azerbaijan, for its part, has always considered Nagorniy Karabakh as an integral part of its multi-ethnic identity and tolerant national mindset and vowed to keep it after the breakup of the USSR in 1991.

The rebuilding of Jojug Marjanli is widely seen across Azerbaijan as a pilot project, described by the government as part of a “great return” program to restore and rehabilitate any remaining lands under Armenian occupation, including Nagorniy Karabakh and seven surrounding districts, which have been under Yerevan’s control for over 25 years.

In April 2016, the Azerbaijani army conducted a counter-offensive operation and recaptured thousands of hectares of lands previously occupied by Armenia since the 1990s, in districts surrounding Nagorniy Karabakh, such as Agdara, Fuzuli and Jabrayil.

“Our village was completely destroyed, and the village in ruins has now been turned into paradise within a short time,” Oqtay Haziyev said confidently, hailing the reconstruction of the village as an example of Azerbaijan’s determination to retake control of Nagorniy Karabakh. “This is the indication of our state’s might. The duty of the citizens is to serve our state in a worthy manner and to protect our village, our lands. This is our land, not of the enemy.”

The reconstruction of Jojug Marjanli included building 50 new houses in a total of 3,850 square meters, a secondary school that now serves 96 students, a mosque, a hydro-meteorological station, gas and power lines, and drinking water pipelines. The second phase of development will see 100 private houses, a kindergarten, medical center and other social infrastructure and facilities built, made possible after Baku allocated $5.3 million from the President’s Reserve Fund.

President Aliyev has vowed his administration would take measures to create new jobs through the rebuilding program, calling the restoration of Jojug Marjanli a “historic event,” as he met with the Haziyev family at their new house. Aliyev said he is confident the village will be successful as the government works to repatriate former residents and welcome new ones.

As many as 250 people have already applied for residency, according to Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the State Committee for Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons Ali Hasanov.

“Applications come from different regions of the country. People want to live in Jojug Marjanli village,” Hasanov told reporters at a news conference on June 20.

At the opening of a military facility in Shirvan ahead of Armed Forces Day on June 26, Aliyev reiterated Azerbaijan’s resolve despite decades of occupation and praised the military’s combat readiness and courage.

"The fighting capacity and patriotic spirit of our army are at a high level. Today, we have the full advantage on the contact line of the troops. We have achieved this and are increasing our advantage,” Ilham Aliyev said.

“A week ago, the Armenians again committed an armed provocation, the Azerbaijani army gave the enemy a worthy response," President Aliyev added, referring to Armenia breaking a ceasefire along the line of contact on June 15 and 16, which resulted in the death of one Azerbaijani soldier. In response, Azerbaijani troops attacked Armenian forces, killing six servicemen, according to a statement by the Ministry of Defense.

The return of Jojug Marjanli’s residents, Aliyev said, indicates that all of Azerbaijan’s internally displaced persons live with the hope of returning to their native towns and villages.