AGDAM, Azerbaijan – About 30 years after the war that saw Armenian forces expel hundreds of thousands of Azeris from their homes in and around the enclave torn by the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, many hope they can return soon after the Azerbaijan recovered much of the area’s surroundings in a counter offensive last fall.
But for Sayali Pashayeva, and others like her, that dream is clouded by questions such as where they would live in the rubble-strewn border territories, and whether they could realistically carve out a new way of life after their return.
“I thank God for allowing me the possibility of returning to die in my own land,” said Mrs. Pashayeva, 74, on her first visit back to Agdam, which was once the home of her family and 40,000 others. His son and daughter rolled out a red carpet from the trunk, a gift for the local mosque, the only building left here, about 5 kilometers from the border with Nagorno-Karabakh, still officially under the control of the Armenian ethnic group. The capital there, Stepanakert, is monitored by Russian peacekeepers.
“For 30 years, we have waited for this moment,” said Mrs. Pashayeva’s son, Alastun Pashayev, 45. Azerbaijan secured control of Agdam and several other regions in and around the disputed enclave during a bloody six-week battle before Russia negotiated a ceasefire in November.
In fact, coming back will not be easy. Pashayev says he knows that his $ 135 a month in disability payments and pension paid to displaced people will not be enough to recover the life he lost in Agdam three decades ago when he was a child.