ANAMA chairman briefs Belgian envoy on demining efforts in Karabakh

Chairman of the Board of the Azerbaijan Mine Action Agency (ANAMA), Vugar Suleymanov, briefed Belgian Ambassador to Baku, Julien de Fraipont, on the ongoing humanitarian demining operations in Karabakh and Eastern Zangazur.

The meeting focused on the progress of mine clearance efforts and explored opportunities for future cooperation between Azerbaijan and Belgium in the field of mine threat mitigation, Caliber.Az reports via ANAMA.

Discussions also covered the organisation of training programs, experience-sharing in mine detection, particularly involving mine-detection dogs, and other areas of mutual interest.

Notably, Azerbaijan has extensive experience in humanitarian demining, particularly following the 2020 Second Karabakh War, which left the Karabakh region and surrounding areas heavily contaminated with Armenian landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO). ANAMA, established in 1998, has cleared over 1.5 million mines and UXO across 120,000 hectares by 2025, per ANAMA reports.  

Ukraine faces one of the world’s largest mine contamination challenges due to Russia’s invasion since 2022, with an estimated 156,000 square kilometers—over 25% of its territory—contaminated by mines and UXO, according to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.

Azerbaijan’s aid to Ukraine began in 2022, with ANAMA providing technical assistance, training, and equipment. In 2023, Azerbaijan donated two Revival-P machines, designed for clearing anti-personnel and anti-tank mines, along with training for Ukrainian sappers. By 2024, Azerbaijan had sent spare parts and deployed ANAMA experts to Ukraine’s Kharkiv and Sumy regions, aiding in the clearance of 5,000 hectares, per Ukraine’s State Emergency Service. This support aligns with Azerbaijan’s broader humanitarian aid, including $30 million for Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in 2024.

By Sabina Mammadli