The reportage provides information about the situation in Azerbaijani districts liberated from the Armenian occupation and contains the views of IDPs from Aghdam and Zangilan. The photos taken from the liberated Azerbaijani cities and villages, as well as IDPs' views, were published on the radio’s website.

The reportage notes that about 30,000 people were killed and hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis were forcibly displaced from their homes in the wake of the First Karabakh War.

The author of the reportage first talked about Armenia’s use of Azerbaijan’s Aghdam city as a buffer zone around the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Pointing to the destruction of the city, the journalist said only buildings used for military purposes and a mosque that turned into a barn remained there. France Inter radio also published the photos from Aghdam, reminiscent of a nightmare.

“This is our ancestral lands. This is our homeland. My dearest one sacrificed his life for these lands. My daughter grew up without a father,” an Azerbaijani told France Inter radio.

Having visited Zangilan, the journalist said the district was liberated after the fighting.

Speaking to the journalist, Gadir, who was wounded after fighting in Zangilan, said the Azerbaijani people always stand by President Ilham Aliyev.

“President Ilham Aliyev is the Victorious Supreme Commander-in-Chief. We are not well-prepared during the First Karabakh War. But in the Second Karabakh War, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief’s path was clear, and the people believed in his victory. I believed that we would achieve a victory in a short period of time,” Gadir said.

The reportage also includes views of Azerbaijan’s Minister of Culture Anar Karimov.

Emphasizing the importance of coexistence in terms of finding a lasting solution, the minister said “we do not forget what the Armenians did, but we are open to reconciliation between the two communities.”

In conclusion, the reportage stresses that the return of hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijani IDPs to their homes, as well as the demining of areas and the restoration of infrastructure still need some time.

More about: Karabakh   Aghdam   Zangilan