About 600 Azerbaijani Citizens in Desperate Situation in Derbent (Video)

Baku / 06.05.20 / Turan: About 600 Azerbaijani citizens have accumulated on the Azerbaijani-Russian border in Dagestan who cannot return to the country due to the ban due to the quarantine regime. In recent days, they have actually remained on the street near the village of Kullar of the Derbent region.

One of them, named Emin Aslanov, told Turan that they were sheltered by Derbent Azerbaijanis by placing them in their hotels. Local businessmen also undertook to provide the people with food. Aslanov himself arrived in Derbent on April 20.

“We are very grateful to everyone who helped us all this time. But endlessly we cannot stay here. On May 1, information appeared that the border would be open. We all went to the border. But here, in the village of Kullar (20 km to the border), a post was put up, and they did not let us go further. For five days now we have actually been living on the street,” Aslanov said.

Those who have their own car spend the night in their cars. The rest settled in unfinished buildings, automobile hangars or just in the open. At night, people warm up by lighting bonfires. People were in a desperate situation because they did not know how long this would continue. Many people are with their families here, he noted.

The operational headquarters under the Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan told Turan that for now, the border remains closed due to the quarantine regime. Azerbaijani citizens can only return in an organized manner, in order of priority, by registering with diplomatic missions.

Those who return from Russia can register on the portal https://www.evegedirem.info/. The return occurs as quarantine zones are ready to receive a certain number of people. Weekly return of 200-500 citizens is provided. In total, more than 15,000 Azerbaijani citizens have been returned since the pandemic, the Operational Headquarters said.

Azerbaijanis in Derbent say that registration on this portal also provides for returning flights, but the cost of tickets reaches 30-40 thousand rubles, and for many these prices are not available.

“On the other hand, we ourselves have reached the border. What is the problem? Let them let us in and we are ready to wait out quarantine. Let them put us in tents. But there will be some certainty, we will know that in two weeks we will be able to return to our home,” another Azerbaijani citizen said.

Acting Head of the Derbent District Fuad Shikhiyev said on May 3 on his Instagram page that there are about 600 Azerbaijani citizens in the district who are waiting for the opening of the corridor to return home. He noted that the citizens of Azerbaijan were "misled by relatives, who reported that the border would be opened on May 4."

Shikhiyev noted that so far no one can give an exact date for the opening of the corridor. He appealed to the citizens of Azerbaijan with a request to stay in their places of residence in Russia until the official announcement of the opening of the state border.

On May 5, Shikhiyev confirmed that about 600 Azerbaijani citizens are again resettled to hotels and resorts where they will be located until they open the borders. At the same time, they will be provided with food and basic necessities. –06B-