RESTORING LIBERATED KARABAKH – IMPORTANT AZERBAIJAN’S EXPERIENCE FOR UKRAINE.

Today, a meeting was held at the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Ukraine between Volodymyr Makukha, Chairman of the Board of the Baltic-Black Sea Economic Forum (Baltic-Black Sea-Caspian Forum), and Ihor Ostrivnyi, Head of the Bilozerka Village Military Administration, with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Azerbaijan Seymur Mardaliyev.

Azerbaijan is a reliable partner of Ukraine, having established a number of ongoing programs aimed at supporting Ukraine since the first days of the large-scale phase of the Russian-Ukrainian war. These include programs for the psychological rehabilitation of children, a demining program, humanitarian programs, programs to assist in the restoration of settlements damaged during the fighting, and others.

With its experience in rebuilding Karabakh territories liberated from long-standing occupation, Azerbaijan can become an example of effective planning and implementation of a strategy for the restoration of devastated settlements.

The importance of studying and implementing this experience of phased planning, from demining, restoring social infrastructure, and creating the necessary incentives for the population to return to liberated territories to restoring economic potential, was discussed during the meeting.

In particular, an initiative to establish a partnership between the Bilozerka United Territorial Community of the Kherson District, Kherson Oblast, and the Azerbaijani city of Aghdam was discussed.

Bilozerka and Aghdam have much in common. Both territorial communities suffered significantly during the fighting. The Azerbaijani city of Aghdam was completely destroyed by occupation forces. Vineyards and a winery once renowned far beyond Azerbaijan’s borders were destroyed. By the time Aghdam was liberated from occupation, not a single resident remained.

Thanks to the state program “Great Return”, a well-thought-out recovery strategy, and the initial results of restoring the destroyed social infrastructure, residents of Aghdam began actively returning to the city. By early 2026, Aghdam already had several hundred residents. In the first half of this month alone, 90 families (346 people) received keys to new apartments in this Azerbaijani city.

Azerbaijan plans to transform Aghdam into a large city (with a population of approximately 100,000) with modern infrastructure. The Aghdam Industrial Park has been established in the city as part of a plan to restore the economy and create jobs in the liberated territories of Karabakh. Plans are underway to restore destroyed vineyards and revive wine culture in the Karabakh region, including the city of Aghdam, where the Aghdam Industrial Park plans to establish a facility for processing the grown grapes and producing wine.

As noted during the meeting, the city of Aghdam and the Bilozerka United Territorial Community share many similar histories and face similar contemporary challenges related to the need for restoration and ensuring further sustainable development.

The success of the rise from the ashes of the Azerbaijani city of Aghdam should serve as an incentive for the Bilozerka United Territorial Community, and their partnership between the communities will contribute to confident progress. 

A number of current plans and initiatives proposed by the Ambassador were also discussed. Specifically, the inclusion of the Bilozerka United Territorial Community in Azerbaijan’s programs for psychological rehabilitation and recreation for Ukrainian children.

The first group of 10-15 children from Bilozerka is planned to be sent to Azerbaijan for rehabilitation and recreation in the near future.