Khankendi: President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev visited the Karkijahan settlement in the city of Khankendi. During his visit on December 23, President Aliyev was briefed on the progress of development efforts in the area by Elchin Yusubov, the President's Special Representative in Khankendi, as well as the Aghdara and Khojaly districts.
According to Azerbaijan State News Agency, renovation works commenced in May of this year, focusing on the restoration of the settlement's infrastructure. Karkijahan currently consists of 33 apartment buildings and 1,037 individual houses. Out of these, 247 houses are deemed uninhabitable, while 790 are partially habitable. The renovation plan includes repairing 40 houses by the end of the current year and an additional 280 by 2026. So far, 30 houses have been successfully renovated, allowing 30 families, totaling 115 residents, to return to their homes after being temporarily displaced.
The settlement has also seen significant improvements in social infrastructure. Inspections and installations of water, electricity, and gas lines have been completed in the individual housing area. Additionally, 2 kilometers of underground optical cable and 510 meters of power lines have been installed, with street lighting and light poles set up for enhanced safety. The internal roads have been asphalted to improve connectivity. Major repairs have been made to the No. 1 nursery-kindergarten, which accommodates 60 children, and the secondary school, which has a capacity for 624 students.
President Aliyev's visit follows a previous one on October 15, 2023, underscoring the ongoing commitment to restoring the settlement. Karkijahan, situated at an altitude of 1,130 meters above sea level and spanning 234 hectares, was once removed from the official list of populated areas by the nationalist Armenian leadership in the 1960s. It was occupied in late 1991 and subsequently burned in 1992 by Armenian forces. Before these events, the settlement was home to 355 families, totaling 1,796 Azerbaijanis. It has since been liberated in 2023 through an anti-terror operation by the Azerbaijani Army, and it now registers 674 families, comprising 2,531 residents.
During his visit, President Aliyev also visited the home of Karkijahan resident Yadigar Asadova, engaging in a conversation with her.