Azerbaijan, NATO explore high-tech future of mine clearance PHOTO

A NATO delegation led by Eirini Lemos-Maniati, head of the alliance’s Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-Proliferation section, is visiting Azerbaijan to participate in the 4th International Mine Action Conference as a panel speaker.

During the visit, Samir Poladov, deputy chairman of the Mine Action Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan (ANAMA), met with Lemos-Maniati, according to the agency.

The meeting focused on the current state of Azerbaijan-NATO cooperation in humanitarian demining, the importance of international support, and progress on an ongoing project under NATO’s Science for Peace and Security (SPS) programme focused on innovative humanitarian demining methods.

The sides also discussed Azerbaijan’s participation in other current and future SPS projects aimed at applying next-generation technologies and innovative approaches to mine clearance.

Poladov said 437 Azerbaijani citizens had been killed or wounded in landmine incidents since November 2020. He said landmines were seriously hindering the return of former internally displaced people, delaying restoration and reconstruction efforts and causing significant humanitarian, economic and environmental consequences.

He also briefed the NATO delegation on ANAMA’s ongoing activities, the role of the Goygol Training Centre and the agency’s international partnerships in humanitarian demining.

The visit reflects the long-standing cooperation between Azerbaijan and NATO in humanitarian mine action, including joint projects covering mine and unexploded ordnance clearance and the development and application of new demining technologies.

By Aghakazim Guliyev