The construction of the Azerbaijani segment of the railway line to pass through the Zangezur corridor has been completed by 40 percent with the land road by 70 percent, President’s Special Representative for Zangilan District Vahid Hajiyev said.

He made the remark at a briefing on the work done under the "First State Program of the Great Return" to the territories liberated from occupation and upcoming plans.

He added that the construction of railways and roads, the constituent elements of the Zangezur corridor, designed to connect mainland Azerbaijan with the exclave Naxcivan, is also underway.

There are five main areas of development that will directly contribute to the sustainable future of Zangilan, which include agriculture, mining, transport and logistics, tourism, and green energy.

The official emphasized that one of the main concerns is mine clearance.

"One of the main obstacles to reconstruction efforts and the safe return of internally displaced persons is the massive contamination of liberated territories with mines and other explosive devices. Currently, the process of demining East Zangezur continues," Hajiyev stated.

The population of Zangilan District is over 43,000, who were forced to leave their homes and flee to save their lives during the first Karabakh war. Over 90 percent of them have already expressed a desire to return to their native lands.

The first pilot project of the smart city and smart village in Azerbaijan is implemented mainly on five components - the housing sector, production sector, social services, smart agriculture, and alternative energy. Initially, 200 individual houses are constructed with the use of innovative building materials. The engineering communications and heating systems in the houses are also created on the basis of smart technologies.

Moreover, modern schools, kindergartens, clinics, and electronic control centers will be built in these villages, and tourism infrastructure will be formed. All residential houses, social facilities, administrative and catering buildings, and processing and production of agricultural products will be provided with alternative energy sources.