ANAMA finds only 25% accuracy in minefield forms received from Armenia

Based on the minefield forms provided by the Armenian side, data was obtained on 390,709 anti-tank mines and other remnants of war.

Vugar Suleymanov, Chairman of the Board of the Azerbaijan Mine Action Agency (ANAMA), made the remarks at the business meeting of donors and partners of the Karabakh Revival Fund and ANAMA, Caliber.Az reports, citing local media.

He noted that the data indicated in the transferred forms turned out to be accurate by about 25 per cent.

“The forms for minefields cover a limited territory, which is about 5 per cent of the conflict-affected territories and 1.25 per cent of the liberated territory,” Suleymanov said.

According to Hafiz Safikhanov, Chairman of the Azerbaijan Campaign to Ban Landmines Public Union, following the Second Karabakh War in 2020, it was revealed that over 12 per cent of Azerbaijan's territory is contaminated with landmines. With approximately 1.5 million mines scattered across its land, Azerbaijan ranks among the top five countries globally affected by landmines.

The de-occupied territories are estimated to encompass 1,166,702 hectares, with 211,800 hectares classified as highly contaminated, while 954,902 hectares are identified as having medium to low contamination levels. Preliminary assessments by mine experts from the International Crisis Group indicate that nearly one-fifth of the liberated area is significantly contaminated, and around two-thirds are designated as priority zones for humanitarian demining efforts.

By Khagan Isayev