Baku, Fineko/abc.az. The Azerbaijani government that has undertaken restoration of houses suffered from war in regions situated nearby the country’s territory occupied by Armenia expands its practical works.

Governmental sources say that restoration of houses in Goradiz settlement that is in fact the centre of Fizuli region in connection with occupation of Fizuli city by Armenia.

"The Goradiz restoration program still includes 91 houses,” a source said.

“Earlier it was launched reconstruction and building of houses in Mezanakhili village of Fizuli region. Under the contract, local company Alybeyli is to reconstruct 60 and build 12 new houses in the village.

The tender for general contractor of construction works planned that the contractor will replace roofs of the suffered buildings, repair facades, replace windows and in accordance with executive power’s acts to repair internal part of houses (a room per family). The houses will also be connected to electricity. AZN 4 million was allocated for works that will allow repairing of up to 10 houses in the best case.

The works will be supervised by the Agency for Rehabilitation & Restoration of Azerbaijan (ARRA).

State financing became inevitable after international organizations failed to fulfill their responsibilities on restoration of housing fund in these regions. State Investment Programme 2009 approved by the Cabinet Ministers stipulates AZN 4 million for rehabilitation of houses in Fizuli region where the UN High Commissioner for Refugees failed to implement work.

There are some 1,200 houses that suffered from war and their restoration would demand AZN 40 million.

The issue of house rehabilitation is especially acute in Agstafa, Gazakh, Terter and Fizuli regions of Azerbaijan. At present reconstruction (or building anew) is needed for at least 600 houses in Terter region and at least 1,100 ones in Fizuli region.

On 31 October 2008 Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev approved the additions to the State Programme on Refugees’ Living Conditions & Employment.

The additional measures will cover period of 2007-11.

The Programme, a continuation of a similar document for 2004-08, differs with a larger volume of works and coverage of areas. It will also be realized in three directions – improvement of living conditions of refugees and forcibly displaced persons, their employment and co-operation with international, organizations. According to preliminary estimate, the programme will cost around AZN 1 bn ($1.3 bn).

The new programme includes construction of 15,000 new houses with floor space of 8,000 sq m, new schools and hospitals.

Within the framework of the fresh programme in 2008 it is planned to define future economic structure of country’s occupied regions of drafting a programme “Great Return”. All international organizations and governmental agencies have made their remarks on the primary version of the programme and at the moment we are preparing its final draft.

Over the last four years it was spent AZN 700 million on improvement of socio-economic conditions of refugees and forcibly displaced persons.

The approved programme stipulates works aimed at improving infrastructure in settlements for refugees and forcibly displaced persons (in particular in the Fizuli, Agdam and Bilasuvar regions), improvement of TV and radio broadcasting, stabilization of power supply and full gasification of Fizuli and Agdam regions, and disbursal of grace loans for forcibly displaced persons, running business and farms, creation of small-size processing enterprises, weaving mills and other crafts, stock-breeding development, seed-, grain-, vegetable and wine-growing in forcibly displaced persons’ residence sites, drawing of donor countries, international and domestic humanitarian organizations and their offices on different humanitarian projects ad projects promoting to creation of new jobs for forcibly displaced persons, creation of production areas and meeting refugee needs.

24.11.2009 11:05