Baku challenges Yerevan’s accusations at UN, calls for mine clearance aid

In a firm rebuttal at the UN Human Rights Council, Azerbaijan has called on Armenia to abandon its repeated falsehoods regarding the mine threat, emphasizing the urgent need for international cooperation in clearing the deadly remnants of war from its territory.

During the 58th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva on March 10, Azerbaijan’s Permanent Mission to the UN dismissed Armenia’s accusations and reminded the global community of the staggering scale of mine contamination left behind after decades of occupation, Caliber.Az reports referring to local media.

"Azerbaijan is among the most mine-contaminated countries in the world," the statement declared, revealing that over 1.5 million mines and countless other explosive devices were planted in Azerbaijani territories during Armenian control. Despite ongoing demining efforts, more than 13% of Azerbaijan's land remains a dangerous minefield.

The Azerbaijani delegation presented damning evidence of mines deliberately placed in civilian settlements, cemeteries, and cultural sites, often far from any military front lines — an apparent effort to inflict long-term suffering on displaced Azerbaijani communities seeking to return home.

Since the 2020 war, Azerbaijan has cleared an area larger than London — about 180,000 hectares — discovering 56,460 mines and 121,188 explosive devices. Despite this, the mine danger continues to hinder the restoration and development of the liberated territories, hampers the safe return of IDPs and complicates the search for some 4,000 missing Azerbaijani citizens.

In response to any scepticism from Armenia’s delegation, Azerbaijan invited international observers to examine the extensive reports it has submitted to global institutions.

However, despite the immense scale of the crisis, Azerbaijan highlighted a stark disparity — only 6% of the necessary funding for humanitarian demining has come from foreign sources. Urging greater international solidarity, Azerbaijan underscored that clearing these mines is not just a national issue but a humanitarian imperative that demands global attention and action.

By Tamilla Hasanova