Azerbaijan briefs Finnish delegation on landmine crisis

First Deputy Chairman of the Mine Action Agency of the Azerbaijan Republic (ANAMA) Bahruz Mammadov has held a meeting with a delegation led by former Finnish Defence Minister Jan-Erik Enestam.

During the meeting, the delegation was thoroughly briefed on the extensive landmine problem in Azerbaijan, including the severe contamination of civilian areas, the discovery of booby-trapped mines, and the ongoing humanitarian demining efforts in the country, ANAMA told Caliber.Az.

Mammadov emphasised the importance of expanding international partnerships and securing support to address the mine threat facing Azerbaijan.

Enestam praised Azerbaijan's achievements in combating the mine threat and promised that a report based on the visit to Azerbaijan would be presented to the Finnish relevant agencies.

After achieving victory over Armenia in the second Karabakh war in early November 2020, Azerbaijan launched the process of demining the territories that Armenia had been holding under occupation for almost three decades.

Despite extensive efforts, demining operations faced many challenges due to Armenia’s refusal to hand over maps displaying the locations of the landmines.

Azerbaijan obtained minefield maps of the once-occupied Aghdam, Fuzuli, and Zangilan districts from Armenia, which reportedly identify the coordinates of 189,000 anti-tank and anti-personnel mines. Armenia also provided the Azerbaijani side with mine maps of other liberated territories of Azerbaijan. In exchange for maps, Azerbaijan released dozens of Armenian saboteurs detained in Azerbaijani territory after the war. However, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev said the accuracy of these maps did not exceed 25 per cent.

AMAMA reported that the maps provided by Armenia were just two per cent effective in mine action. According to the Azerbaijani government data, international experts estimate that Azerbaijan needs nearly 30 years and $25 billion to solve issues related to demining.