The Azerbaijan State News Agency

SOCIETY

Stark reminders of Azerbaijan’s IDP plight come to Brussels

Baku, June 22, AZERTAC

Designated as World Refugee Day in 2000 by the UN to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the passing of the 1951 UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, 20 June is acknowledged across the world as the day to remember the dispossessed, those unfortunate victims of conflict and war across the world. At present, refugees from such conflicts in Syria and Ukraine, and the subsequent pan-European migration crisis, have come in to stark focus. However, one casualty is that the hierarchy of news importance often results in longstanding tragedies being overlooked, particularly if they were inadequately reported at the time.

One example of this was the Armenian–Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, which raged from 1988–94 during and just after the collapse of the Soviet Union. This resulted in the illegal Armenian occupation of approximately 20 per cent of Azerbaijani territory, leading an estimated one million Azerbaijanis to become refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs). This equates to 10 per cent of the population, representing one of the highest levels of displacement per capita in the world.

Initially living in extremely challenging conditions, the Azerbaijani government has done much to rehouse the affected populations so they have access to the basics of life – clean water, sanitation, adequate food and educational facilities are now available to the two generations of children who have never seen their homeland. However, all maintain a fervent desire to return to their native lands.

This humanitarian crisis led American photographer Ed Kashi, whose work has been published by Newsweek, The New York Times Magazine, Time and the National Geographic, to turn his socially-aware lens to the IDP camps. Recognising that it was impossible to capture the full enormity of the crisis, he decided to just focus on a few vignettes of everyday life in the camps in western Azerbaijan. These include children playing football, wearing replica shirts emblazoned with the names of their Manchester United heroes; a father and daughter – both of whom lost loved ones in the war ¬– cooking together; and a mother holding the photo of her dead child, killed by an Armenian sniper’s bullet along the ‘contact line’ between Azerbaijan and the Armenian-occupied territories. All photographs emphasised the common humanity that we all share, regardless of culture or religion.

Entitled Unresolved Dreams: Azerbaijan’s Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons, this poignant exhibition was hosted at the Press Club Brussels Europe, located in the heart of the diplomatic quarter and in the shadow of the European Parliament, before an audience of pan-European journalists. It was organised by the Benelux branch of The European Azerbaijan Society (TEAS) and supported by the VII Photo Agency.

Speaking against a backdrop of photos and footage taken during the shoot, edited by Julie Winokur, Ed explained: “My family fled Iraq during the 1940s, so we know the tragedy of displacement. Unfortunately, the refugee/IDP issue has affected a seemingly endless number of countries, but the reasons for these issues are often underreported. The populations involved often feel lost and hopeless. They all want to return home.

“My intention in taking these photos was to help viewers see behind the statistics and realise that the issue needs to be resolved. Many of the people in the photos are suffering health problems due to their conditions. They were affluent back in Nagorno-Karabakh, and their lives have been impacted severely.”

Marc Verwilghen, Director, TEAS Benelux, commented: “According to the most recent statistics from the UNHCR, the number of refugees and IDPs worldwide is constantly increasing, now equating to almost 66m people.

“We cannot consider this problem as a ‘far from our bed show’… even in our Belgian history, we remember the phenomenon of the refugees during both World Wars.

“Today, TEAS Benelux is bringing to your attention the fate of the almost one million Azerbaijanis, who fled their homes and lands due to the Armenian–Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh.

“Despite the passing of four UN Security Council resolutions, one UN General Assembly resolution and rulings by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) condemning Armenia, nothing has changed for over 20 years.

“Armenia continues to resist accepting responsibility for its actions over Nagorno-Karabakh. As a former Minister of Justice, I acknowledge that Azerbaijan is on the correct side of international law. Azerbaijan is a direct neighbour to the EU, and it needs to play its part in resolving this issue.”

Fuad Isgandarov, Azerbaijani Ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg and the EU, commented: “Refugees are all around us – even in the streets of Brussels – and the concept of the refugee is very familiar to all of us. These are exceptional photographs, and I personally knew many of the people photographed by Ed Kashi in the camps before I entered the diplomatic service. It must be remembered these Azerbaijani IDPs are representatives of European civilisation, and that the conflict that caused them to become IDPs happened over 25 years ago. Many of them became IDPs when they were very young, but they still want to return home. Azerbaijanis – as a nation – have a very strong attachment to their homeland.

“My hope is that such as events as today will enhance understanding of the issues, and that a swift solution to the conflict, and the plight of these people, needs to be found.”

Amanda Paul, Senior Policy Analyst, European Policy Centre (EPC), stated: “This is a sad and sensitive topic. Azerbaijan is home to the second largest IDP population per capita in the world. My second family – from Azerbaijan – is from Kalbajar – and they were forced to flee during the war. Every day, their thoughts are focused on Kalbajar, including that of the matriarch of the family, who will probably never return.

“The victims are just ordinary people, like you and me. Displacement is the great problem of our age, but the South Caucasus – including Georgia – has a disproportionately large number. I would like to remind you of the case of Chiragov and others vs. Armenia, where the ECHR resoundingly condemned Armenia. Furthermore, the occupying Armenians have deliberately destroyed houses and infrastructure.

“We need a new format for the peace process, and need to make serious steps towards this, beginning with the return with some of the occupied territories.”

The presentation ended with a lively and informed question-and-answer session covering such areas as the impact of assimilation on IDP children who have never seen their homeland; new strategies for diplomatic conflict resolution; and Ed Kashi’s journalistic reasons for focusing on IDP children and youths in the exhibition.

Share news on social media

Follow us on social network

Azerbaijan, Switzerland discuss COP29 preparations

SpaceX launches 22 Starlink satellites from California in dusky evening liftoff

® Former President of Montenegro Milo Djukanovic awarded the Friend of Azerbaijan Golden Order

Azerbaijani oil price rises above $88

Global oil prices drop

Azerbaijan’s National Defense University hosts event marking 109th anniversary of Canakkale Victory

First Vice-President of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva made post on Last Tuesday

A ‘Global Britain’: How has the Azerbaijan-UK relationship benefitted from this new foreign policy approach?

Seven-day Novruz holiday to start in Azerbaijan tomorrow

Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry: Festive events in military units are held in closed conditions

Turkish president congratulates Russian counterpart Putin on reelection

Hikmet Hajiyev: Azerbaijan, China enjoy traditional ties of friendship and partnership

Apple, Google in talks to bring Gemini AI to iPhones: Report

Marie Sahba: Through my music and lyrics, I want to build cultural bridges between my nations - INTERVIEW

Jens Stoltenberg: We are now in the process of agreeing on a new framework for partnership between NATO and Azerbaijan VIDEO

Active dialogue between ruling parties significantly contributes to development of Azerbaijan-China relations

Magic of Novruz at Baku airport: carpets, airplanes, and national values

AZAL staff plants over 600 trees in support of “Green World Solidarity Year”

Azerbaijani female shooter clinches silver medal in Germany

Azerbaijani ambassador attends event marking 109th anniversary of Canakkale Victory

Message of congratulation to the people of Azerbaijan on the occasion of Novruz holiday

Azerbaijani table tennis players bring ten medals from Türkiye

ANAS Institute of Oriental Studies, Moscow Islamic Institute ink MoU

Azerbaijani FM meets with NATO Secretary General

Azerbaijan, US discuss bilateral and multilateral cooperation agenda

International Turkic Academy expands international relations

President of Azerbaijan: Everyone must reckon with us from now on

President Ilham Aliyev discloses several facts about Khankendi’s being the land of Azerbaijan

Central square of Khankendi named “Victory Square” VIDEO

'Canakkale is impassable' immortalized when Turkish Navy defeated most advanced armies: President Erdogan

President: Today, Azerbaijan is one of a handful of countries in the world with a completely independent policy VIDEO

President of Azerbaijan: Regrettably, the outcomes of the Second Karabakh War did not serve as lesson to Armenia

President Ilham Aliyev: Anti-terror operation was a triumph of indomitable spirit of Azerbaijani people VIDEO

President: We demonstrated tremendous heroism during the Second Karabakh War and the anti-terror operation

President Ilham Aliyev: It is the fourth time that I have lit the holiday bonfire in liberated lands of Karabakh

President Ilham Aliyev lit Novruz bonfire in the city of Khankendi and congratulated the people of Azerbaijan on the occasion of the holiday VIDEO

Chinese scientists design device to produce hydrogen from renewable sources

Ukrainian media: NATO Secretary General welcomes Azerbaijan’s support to Ukraine

Peace initiators in the South Caucasus

® Simplify business operations with Kapital Bank's free API Portal

Azerbaijan’s Defense Minister meets with NATO Secretary General VIDEO

Azerbaijan, Shanghai Cooperation Organization explore prospects for cooperation

Wildfire continues to spread in China's southern Sichuan province

Azerbaijan, China discuss bilateral cooperation

Global Terrorism Index 2024: Azerbaijan among safest countries in the world

NASA volunteers find fifteen rare “Active Asteroids”

® B2B Forum featuring Latvian, Estonian and Finnish companies held in Azerbaijan

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg concludes his visit to Azerbaijan

Release of the Press Service of the President

To His Excellency Mr. Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation

Nervous system disorders found to be biggest cause of poor health

2 Japan astronauts to land on moon in NASA-led Artemis program

Putin gets 85.13% of vote in Moscow after all ballots counted

AZAL launches flights to another London airport

N. Korea fires multiple short-range ballistic missiles into East Sea: JCS

Oil prices surge in global markets

® “Baku Steel Company” CJSC starts the tender stage for the implementation of the SAP S/4HANA system

Azerbaijan relocates 34 more families to Fuzuli city VIDEO

Fenerbahce win at Trabzonspor in match marred by clashes

“Heritage in Stitches: A Journey Through Embroidery and Sewing Traditions of Uzbekistan” exhibition opens at the Heydar Aliyev Center
First Vice-President of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva and Assistant to the President of Uzbekistan Saida Mirziyoyeva attend the opening ceremony VIDEO

‘Cold blob’ of Arctic meltwater may be causing European heat waves

NATO Secretary General: COP29 will be an important milestone in fighting global warming VIDEO

NATO Secretary General: Azerbaijan and Armenia have an opportunity to achieve enduring peace

Jens Stoltenberg: I welcome that Azerbaijan is developing closer ties with several NATO allies VIDEO

President Ilham Aliyev invites Jens Stoltenberg to Azerbaijan to attend COP29 in November VIDEO

President: NATO-Azerbaijan partnership has already had a long history VIDEO

Azerbaijani President: Today, we are in an active phase of peace talks with Armenia

President Ilham Aliyev: There is a good chance for settlement of Azerbaijan-Armenia relations VIDEO

President Ilham Aliyev: Reforms in our Armed Forces have led to good results VIDEO

President Ilham Aliyev held expanded meeting over dinner with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg VIDEO

President Ilham Aliyev and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg made press statements VIDEO

President Ilham Aliyev held one-on-one meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg VIDEO

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg arrives in Azerbaijan for official visit

China's auto exports soar 30.5 pct in January-February

US says it destroys Houthi UAVs in Red Sea

Azerbaijan defense minister expresses condolences to Pakistani side

11th Global Baku Forum on “Fixing the Fractured World” concludes

"Once-in-a-lifetime" devil comet will be easily visible this month

Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan praise development of bilateral relations

Azerbaijan`s Prime Minister meets with Nobel peace laureate Muhammad Yunus

First drug to treat common, lethal liver disease gets US nod

11th Global Baku Forum features “New Security Paradigm in the Age of AI, Drones and Cyberwarfare” panel meeting

Azerbaijani PM meets with his Georgian counterpart in Baku

Administrator of UN Development Programme: Azerbaijan's role and approach as President of COP29 are commendable

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze concludes his official visit to Azerbaijan

President Ilham Aliyev held expanded meeting with Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Kobakhidze VIDEO

President Ilham Aliyev and Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze made press statements VIDEO

Photo exhibition on "Protection of Azerbaijan’s cultural heritage: Austria’s contribution" unveiled in Vienna

Irakli Kobakhidze: Our partnership has reached excellent level

Georgian Prime Minister: Partnership and friendship between our countries hold significant importance on global stage

Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze: Azerbaijan-Georgia relations are built on a very solid foundation

President: Both Georgia and Azerbaijan possess significant renewable energy potential

President: Our energy projects will continue to ensure energy security of many countries

President of Azerbaijan: The International law norms must be the basis for each country and there can be no discrimination

President Ilham Aliyev: Azerbaijan and Georgia have always supported each other`s sovereignty

President Ilham Aliyev: Demand for Azerbaijan's energy resources continues to rise

President: Activation of Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway will be beneficial for many countries

President: Trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Georgia increased by 15 percent last year

President Ilham Aliyev: Today, Azerbaijan and Georgia have become vital countries for Eurasia

President Ilham Aliyev held one-on-one meeting with Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Kobakhidze VIDEO