Let’s set aside the fact that Azerbaijan is in no way expelling or “pressing out” the Karabakh Armenians; their departure is the personal free choice of each family, and there is no observed “aid marathon” regarding those arriving in Europe as illegal immigrants. Furthermore, we won’t even inquire why Armenia itself did not prepare for the arrival of such a large number of passport holders of Armenia from the area under temporary placement of the RPC (Russian Peacekeeping Contingent). Karabakh Armenians arriving in Gerus are facing a tough situation, and they could certainly use support and assistance. Yes, each country decides on its own whom to help and where to direct its charity. But… Where were all these international donor organizations in the early nineties when Azerbaijan faced a humanitarian catastrophe? At that time, we had to somehow accommodate a million—A MILLION!—refugees and internally displaced persons. These people faced a real ethnic cleansing. In the best case, they were given a few hours to gather their belongings. In the worst case, they had to flee in the direction where they were not being shot at. They literally went barefoot across snowy mountains, attempted to ford the border river Araz, and not everyone managed to reach their destinations. Tragic stories of the residents of the Kelbajar district, who hid in caves and tried to escape to safety, are only becoming known today. At that time, the entire population of Azerbaijan was 7 million, and every seventh citizen became a refugee. People were accommodated not only in schools and dormitories. In many regions of Azerbaijan, huge tent camps were set up. People lived in freight cars at the Saatly station. However, those organizations that are now clamoring to help “refugees” in Armenia, who, I repeat, were not driven out or “pressed out” by anyone, did not rush to provide assistance to Azerbaijani refugees, victims of real ethnic cleansings, back then.
Moreover, today, the “play of flight within the interiors of Hankendi” is unfolding against the backdrop of the Ukrainian war, diverting the attention of many Western political institutions. In the early ’90s, nothing of the sort was happening. Nevertheless, Armenia receives attention while Azerbaijan was simply forgotten back then. Our country had to solve the refugee problem on its own. And we did. There are no tent camps left in Azerbaijan. Refugees no longer live in dugouts and freight cars. From 1993 to 2019, Azerbaijan spent about 10 billion manats on social assistance and solving the problems of refugees. Of this, 4 billion came from the state budget, 2.5 billion from the state oil fund, 1.4 billion from international financial organizations, and the rest came from other sources, including private charities.
Azerbaijan is also rebuilding the lands liberated from Armenian occupation with its own resources. Everything here was destroyed and plundered.
After such urban destruction, our country could not return refugees to a land filled with mines. Azerbaijan is building new cities, but even today, hundreds of thousands of our citizens are still waiting to return. From 2020 to 2023, 380 million manats are allocated annually for refugee assistance, 600 million manats for improving housing conditions, and the state covers their expenses for education and more. Do international donor organizations show themselves here? No.
So even in such a “humanitarian” issue as refugee assistance, Azerbaijan faces double standards and discrimination, clearly influenced by religious priorities. And this is no longer a matter of “I decide whom to help” on a personal level. Politicians have a different level of responsibility…
