Large-scale restoration and reconstruction work is now underway in our territories liberated from occupation. Important infrastructure projects are being implemented. As part of the Great Return Program, some of the former internally displaced persons have already returned to their ancestral lands, the cities of Lachin and Fuzuli, including three villages. More than 140,000 people are expected to return to Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur before the end of 2026,” said President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev as he addressed to the participants of the Fifth Session of the Islamic Conference of Labour Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation held in Baku.

“It is quite remarkable that a conference of labor ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation was held in Baku 10 years ago. According to the “Framework document” adopted there, future priorities for the exchange of experience in the fields of labor, migration and social protection were identified. Within the framework of the conference, I put forward the initiative to establish the Labor Center of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation with headquarters in Baku, and member countries unanimously supported that initiative. Over this period, important work has been done towards establishing the Labor Center of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Baku. I am sure that the center will play an important role in strengthening cooperation between member countries,” the head of state pointed out.