Azerbaijani official: Tackling mine issue contributes to climate action

Azerbaijan, which has gained a great deal of experience in demining and continues to build on it, is ready to share that experience with other countries suffering from the same problem. The acquisition of this knowledge and experience has cost us a lot.

Nusret Suleymanov, Deputy Head of the Foreign Policy Department of the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Azerbaijan, made the statement while speaking on the results of the 3rd International Conference on Humanitarian Demining on the theme “Reducing the impact of mines on the environment - Mobilizing resources for a safe and green future”, Azertag reports.

Referring to the deadly effects of mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO), a representative of the Presidential Administration stated, “Mines and UXO kill people regardless of their nationality. We do not call them 'seeds of death' for nothing. They kill both people and our planet. They are a serious threat to water, air and soil, as well as to our lives. At a time when conflict is on the rise in the world, we must work together to combat the consequences of wars. The worst of these consequences are mines and unexploded ordnance. The people of the countries represented at this conference are well acquainted with this terrible reality.”

Emphasizing that this issue will be the focus of COP29, which will be held this year in Azerbaijan, Nusret Suleymanov said: “It is known that the COP29 conference will be held this year in Azerbaijan. As the host country of COP29, at this conference, along with the issue of climate change, we consider it our duty to raise the issue of mines. In order to contribute to the fight against climate change, we need to address the issue of mines. As we look forward to the Future Summit in New York, the World Urban Forum (WUF12) to be held in Egypt, and the COP29 event to be held in Baku, drawing attention to the relationship between these two challenges, we are determined to tackle them.”

Noting that the 3rd International Conference on Humanitarian Demining held useful discussions on mine and unexploded ordnance damage and successfully combating this scourge, Nusret Suleymanov said: “This two-day conference was useful for all of us in terms of sharing knowledge and experience. The conference created a great opportunity not only to assess the seriousness of this problem, but also to increase our efforts, realizing that there is a way out of this situation. I am sure that we will meet again next year to discuss our achievements to make our planet safer and greener for ourselves and for present and future generations.”