Interview of Honorary Consul of Azerbaijan in Kharkov, Ukraine Afgan Salmanov to APA

- Afghan teacher, what is the general situation with Azerbaijanis in Kharkov now?

- Azerbaijanis who did not leave the Kharkiv region during the war, the territories of our Honorary Consulate, still support each other.

At the same time, they support the citizens of Ukraine.

Azerbaijanis, who run a restaurant business and shop in Kharkov, help the community and provide them with bread.

Our diaspora is also active.

Since we are still at war, it is forbidden and inappropriate for us to gather together.

- Are there any Azerbaijanis returning to Kharkov?

- A few days ago we met with the mayor of Kharkov Igor Trikhov.

The first deputy of the city administration also attended the meeting.

According to their statistics, between 2,000 and 5,000 people return to Kharkov every day.

Among them are our compatriots.

It is still difficult to say exactly how many there are.

Therefore, we do not have any statistics yet.

- What are the conditions for return?

For example, who is not allowed to return to Kharkov?

- During the meeting, the mayor said that they do not recommend the return of people whose houses were destroyed and lost their apartments.

Because today, first of all, they are trying to accommodate people whose houses are located in the subway.

The people they are advised to return to are those whose homes and apartments have not been destroyed.

But those who have lost their homes are advised to wait a while.

- There are reports that the Ukrainian government does not allow the return of Azerbaijanis with temporary residence permits in Ukraine.

It is stated that only Azerbaijanis who are Ukrainian citizens or Azerbaijanis who are home to a Ukrainian citizen and are married to a Ukrainian citizen are allowed to return.

To what extent do they reflect the truth?

- The Ukrainian Migration Service can provide detailed information about this.

But non-Ukrainian Azerbaijanis could leave the country very easily.

But we have not received any complaints about their return.

On the other hand, Azerbaijanis who still have a temporary residence permit

I have not come across any official statement that he will not be allowed to return to Ukraine.

But the Honorary Consulate will be interested in this issue.

I think that it should be possible for Azerbaijanis with temporary residence permits to return to Ukraine.

- Have enterprises resumed operations in Kharkov and are jobs created?

- Most of the enterprises are not working yet.

Because it is not yet possible for anyone to fully guarantee stability.

A few days ago, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said in a statement that he did not recommend the return of citizens.

He said that the hot phase of the war could occur in the next two months.

- Are the activities of the Ukrainian state and the Honorary Consulate coordinated to solve the problems of Azerbaijanis in Kharkov?

- I would not say that the activity is coordinated yet.

The hotline of the Honorary Consulate receives calls from Azerbaijanis who have left Kharkov, including in Lviv and other safe cities of Ukraine.

The purpose of these calls is to determine whether they will return.

Based on the last meeting, we can say that Azerbaijanis who have not lost their homes and destroyed their homes can now return to Kharkov and Ukraine.

But those who have lost their homes, let them wait.

They cannot come and stay on the street.

There are no conditions to accommodate them yet.

We convey this recommendation to Azerbaijanis who have lost their homes and destroyed their homes when they apply to the Honorary Consulate.

We take this opportunity to once again appeal to citizens not to return to Ukraine temporarily.

Because, as I said before, the war is not over, and today it is a problem to place those people somewhere.

- What is the situation with Azerbaijanis living in the war zones of Ukraine?

Are there any injuries?

- We pay attention to whether Azerbaijanis are injured in the war zones.

We still have no information about the injuries of Azerbaijanis.

No appeal has been received in recent days.

- In what form does the Azerbaijani state support the solution of the problems of Azerbaijanis in Ukraine?

- Our Honorary Consulate carries out its activities on the instructions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

We coordinate all the work done with the Foreign Ministry and receive instructions from them.

Today, the purpose of our resumption of our activities in Kharkov is to help Azerbaijani citizens living in Ukraine, in war-torn areas.

Today, state registers do not work here, we can not get statistics.

But we try to keep in touch with the leaders of the diaspora, to get information from them about the difficulties, location and problems of our compatriots.

- Does the Honorary Consulate keep in touch with Azerbaijani diaspora organizations in the regions of Ukraine?

- We have always worked in parallel with the Diaspora, and this work continues today.

We have several organizations of Azerbaijani diaspora organizations here.

Most of the Diaspora organizations have gathered in the Rada of Ukrainian Azerbaijanis, and today the Honorary Consulate has close ties with the Rada of Ukrainian Azerbaijanis.

It is difficult to say whether any of the diaspora organizations functioned during the war.

Those who consider the area where they stay, the city where they stay, dangerous for themselves, those who have young children, elderly parents in their care, they are far from the war zones.

Probably, due to the relative calm, it will be possible to provide detailed information on the work of the diaspora representatives after a while.

- In what form do the representatives of the wealthy diaspora support the solution of the problems of Azerbaijanis?

In general, how are Azerbaijanis provided with livelihood opportunities?

- There were such appeals during the war.

In recent days, we have not received any complaints about someone in a difficult situation.

But members of diaspora organizations have always supported each other.

Our consulate also provides support.

- Do Turkish citizens also apply to the Honorary Consulate?

How was your joint activity in the evacuation of Turkish and Azerbaijani citizens organized?

Are activities in this direction being coordinated in connection with the return?

- From the beginning of the war, the Honorary Consulate of Azerbaijan in Kharkov, in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, took over the evacuation process.

In this regard, he had a meeting with the governor of our province, the mayor and the head of the city's Railways.

Within a few days after these meetings, Azerbaijani citizens were sent off.

After the fifth day of the war, Azerbaijanis were evacuated from the city by train without any payment.

During this time, we were not approached by Turkish citizens.

On the contrary, our Azerbaijani citizens were evacuated by buses organized by Turkey.

I and 4 of my colleagues worked 24 hours a day to evacuate our compatriots until March 17, when our consulate was hit.

- Are there any Azerbaijanis left in Ukraine who want to be evacuated and leave Ukraine in general?

Are there any appeals in this regard?

- There have been no appeals in this regard for a long time.

This process has already stopped.

The appeals are related to incorrect documents and loss of ID cards.

We direct them to our embassy in Kiev.

The Honorary Consulate does not have the authority to change the documents or issue any documents.

- What will be the situation of Azerbaijani students studying in Ukraine?

Are the activities of these higher education institutions expected to be restored?

- Today, in general, there is no information about the traditional activities of universities, the next academic year in Ukraine.

The process shows that the war is still going on.

Classes are still online.

The process will be announced at the end of next month.