23:59, 26 November 2004

Azerbaijan President meets with UN High Commissioner for Refugees

Azerbaijan President Ilkham Aliyev has received a UN delegation, headed by UN High Commissioner for Refugees Ruud Lubbers, in the Presidential Palace. Mr Lubbers stated that the number of programs for Azerbaijan refugees carried out by humanitarian organizations, including the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), decreased because the political resolution of the Karabakh problem was dragged out, reported a Caucasian Knot correspondent. Mr Lubbers divided the refugees living in Azerbaijan into several groups, including Meskhetian Turks, Chechens, Azerbaijanians, refugees from Armenia, and Karabakh refugees. They all have received Azerbaijan citizenship, he said. 30 thousand Armenians live in Azerbaijan, and the UNHCR plans to provide humanitarian aid to them, the High Commissioner added.

The UNHCR has spent $68 million since 1992 for different projects, including the ones aimed at helping the refugees from Azerbaijan.

Source: Caucasian Knot