By Amina Nazarli

The Azerbaijani state continues to assume primary responsibility for the care and protection of the country's more vulnerable population -- internally displaced persons (IDPs) and persons equated to them, who fled their homes in the early 1990s, as a result of Armenian aggression to Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh.

The recent presidential decree on determining a single monthly allowance for IDPs and persons equated to them will considerably simplify a mechanism to compensate part of social need for people representing this category.



A monthly allowance of 36 manats ($19.21) shall be allocated for IDPs and those equal to them from January 1, 2017 instead of payments for food as well as communal and other services from the state budget for IDPs and those alike.

The State Oil Company (SOCAR), electricity supply operator Azərishıq and water supply operator Azersu are committed to install in a short time the public utility meters in places of accommodation of internally displaced persons.

Ali Hasanov, Azerbaijan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the State Committee for Refugees and IDPs, said that the decree will strengthen the social protection of the citizens of this category.

Stressing that it will ensure transparency in this field and eliminate direct contact in the process of the issuance of allowances, he said that the decree will also eliminate bureaucratic delays.

The decree targeted for social protection of internally displaced persons and persons equated to them, and the simplification of the mechanism of their payments is a commendable measure, said MP Elman Mammadov.



He said that henceforth IDPs and persons equated to them will dispose of allowance as they want.



"Until now, part of the allowances allocated for food has been converted into cash to bank cards of IDPs. A part of the allowance for utilities was translated by the State Committee for Refugees and IDPs to the account of Azerigas, Azerishig and Azersu. There are some displaced families who use public services at a lower amount than transferred. Now all the benefits will be fully transferred to the accounts of internally displaced persons, and they will decide the target and amount of money they want to spend,” the MP explained.

Mammadov emphasized that it is a more efficient option, as displaced people themselves will allocate their funds, without depending on any organization.



“In this case, the families of IDPs, who spend little money from the part of the grant allocated for utilities will be able to spend the rest for other needs that will serve to improve welfare of this category of people,” the MP clarified.

Earlier to benefit from these payments IDPs had to issue the relevant documents, to obtain a certificate from the relevant bodies. But after that, it will not be necessary to obtain any documents or certificates, since these funds will be paid directly to IDPs and they themselves will determine how to dispose these funds.

In turn, MP Aydin Mirzazade considers this act as a financial assistance from the state to the families of this category, appraising this as a good material support to the families.

The most tragic pages in the history of Azerbaijan in the 20th century are linked to refugees and internally displaced persons. After aggression of Armenia against ethnic Azerbaijani civilians many thousands of Azerbaijanis living in Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia were deported from their historical lands thus abandoning to their fate. Thousands of children, elderly, women and men had no choice but to move to the capital of Azerbaijan, Baku.

The conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh, a breakaway territory of Azerbaijan, has continued for about 30 years, following the Armenia’s territorial claims against Azerbaijan in 1988. The military conflict, characterized by violence against civilians and ethnic cleansing, resulted in the injury, death, and disappearance of thousands of people, ended with occupation of 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding regions.

All ethnic Azerbaijanis expelled from their native lands. According to official figures, Azerbaijan hosted more than 1 million Azerbaijani refugees and IDPs from 1988 to 1993. That was a staggering figure for the small country experiencing economic and political problems, when to consider that the country's population was about 7 million people at the time.

All the problems of more than 1 million of people became the subject of daily care and the number one issue for the country, when the amount of funds allocated to address the problems of refugees and IDPs increased in dozens.



With the growing economic and political situation of the country, the state began to pay more attention on the most difficult problem once concerning the refugees and displaced persons.

The state improves the living conditions of refugees and IDPs, adopted relevant state programs and legislative acts. Refugees from Armenia have been granted Azerbaijani citizenship and now enjoy the same rights and opportunities as other Azerbaijani citizens.

Significant resources has devoted to IDPs’ problems over the past two decades.

Starting in 2001, the government began to close down IDP camps and move IDPs to specially-built settlements. Today, being an IDP does not necessarily equate to being poor or disadvantaged. Many IDPs have been able to achieve good living standards, but still are awaiting for the justice to be restored and repatriation to native lands.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli



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