OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS

Socio-political stability, reforms and purposeful development strategy carried out for the last decade by nationwide leader of Azerbaijan people Heydar Aliyev, have resulted in considerable changes towards improvement of the population welfare. Priority tasks of the government are consolidating successes and increasing the country’s economic potential by deepening the reforms, drastic reducing poverty and improving people’s welfare by creating new job opportunities.

Among them, ensuring normal way of life for the citizens ousted from their native lands as a result of Armenian aggressive policy is of primary importance. Problems of refugees and internally displaced people have been in the center of constant attention of the government in the past years: the amount of funds allocated from the state budget to ensure the social protection has been increased from year to year, first incomes of the State Oil Fund have also been spent for improving the refugees and IDPs’ living conditions. In accordance with Decrees of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

N 562 “On solution of the settling problems of the Azerbaijanis ousted from their historical lands as a result of ethnic purge by Armenian nationalists” of August 22, 2001; N 577 “ On certain measures for settling a part of the people forcedly displaced from Agdam and Fizuli regions as a result of occupation of Azerbaijani lands by Armenian Armed Forces and temporarily settled in encampments, on the territory of the mentioned regions” of September 7, 2001; N 700 “ On measures for improvement of living conditions of the internally displaced persons settled in five encampments situated on the territory of Bilasuvar region” of May 13, 2002, 359 billion manats have been allocated by the State Oil Fund to finance the measures for improving of refugees and IDPs’ living conditions and solving their settling problems.

At the expense of these funds, instead of the encampments eliminated, new settlements including 67 apartments, 18 schools, 18 medical establishments, and other necessary objects have been constructed on the territories released from the occupation for thousands of refugee and IDPs’ families. In addition 320 houses have been finished, five thousand refugee families have been provided with one-time gratuitous financial aid.

Despite the improvement - as a result of the works done - of situation of a part of citizens experiencing refugee way of life, thousands of families still live in tents and goods wagons in hard living conditions.

To improve social and living conditions of and provide employment opportunities for 3860 refugee families from Agdam and other regions living in encampments and goods wagons on the territory of Barda and Agjabadi regions until occupied Azerbaijani lands are released and forcedly displaced people return to their native lands, I hereby decree:

1. New settlements supplied with electric power, water, educational, medical and other necessary social and technical infrastructure shall be constructed on the territory of Agdam region for 3674 refugee families from Agdam region temporarily placed in encampments on the territory of Barda and Agjabadi regions and in goods wagons on the territory of Barda region, on the territory of Ashagi and Yukhari Agjakand settlements of Geranboy region for 149 refugee families from Kalbajar region, on Lachin winter quarters located on the territory of Agjabadi region for 37 refugee families from Lachin region.

2. Designing and the works related to construction of the new settlements provided with necessary infrastructure for refugee families shall be managed by the State Commission. Sponsoring Agency shall be determined by the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

3. In order to carry out the present executive order, the State Commission shall be formed in the following composition:

Chairman of the State Commission

Ali Hasanov - Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Chairman of the State Committee for refugees and IDPs

Members of the State Commission:

Farhad Aliyev - Minister of Economic Development of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Misir Mardanov - Minister of Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Ali Insanov - Minister of Health of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Ali Nagiyev - Minister of Labor and Social Security of Population of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Irshad Aliyev - Acting Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Samir Sharifov- Chairman of the State Oil Fund of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Garib Mammadov - Acting Chairman of the State Committee for Land and Cartography of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Shair Hasanov - Acting Chairman of the State Committee for Construction and Architecture of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Hasan Sariyev - head of the executive power of Agdam region

4. It shall be determined that in accordance with legislation in force, the State Commission takes control of implementation of the contract by winner of the tender for designing and construction of the new settlements for refugees and IDPs provided with necessary infrastructure, as well as, in accordance with purchase and sale legislation of the Republic of Azerbaijan accepts the works done and solves other issues concerning construction of the new settlements.

5. The State Commission:

- while evaluating the proposals, take into consideration existing experience in the settlements’ construction, involvement of the refugees to be resided in these settlements in construction works, and conditions for their employment after residing;

- take necessary measures for conducting the tender in accordance with legislation in force and for solving other issues connected with settlements’ construction, and submit a report on the tender’s results and inform the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on works done in a regular manner.

6. According to submission by the State Commission, the State Committee for Refugees and IDPs of the Republic of Azerbaijan jointly with the State Land and Cartography Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan and executive power of Agdam region shall ensure allotting building plot for settlement construction including farmlands.

7. The State Committee for Refugees and IDPs of the Republic of Azerbaijan shall be assigned to ensure settling of 3860 refugee families temporarily living in encampments on the territory of Barda and Agjabadi regions and in goods wagons located in Barda region, in apartment buildings to be constructed in the settlements envisaged by the Present Executive Order. After realization of these measures, encampments in Barda and Agjabadi region shall be eliminated.

8. The State Oil Fund of the Republic of Azerbaijan shall be assigned to finance - within the limits of its 2004 budget, and to the amount and by the method established by the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan -banking and other expenditures, salaries for workers, for ensuring design and construction of the settlements envisaged in the present Executive Order, preparation and conducting the tender, moving the refugees to the new settlements, and their engagement in farming.

9. The Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan shall solve the questions resulting from the present Executive Order.

10. The present Executive Order comes into effect from the day of signing.

Ilham Aliyev

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

City of Baku, February 4