Envoy: EU interested in solving Azerbaijan’s landmine problem

The Ambassador of the European Union to Azerbaijan, Peter Michalko, expressed the EU's interest in solving the mine problem in Azerbaijan.

Mihalko made the remarks while addressing the event “Solidarity with mine victims in the South Caucasus: an important pillar of the strategy to eliminate mines and their consequences,” Report informs.

He noted that Azerbaijan is currently the country most affected by mines in the South Caucasus.

“We are trying to help Azerbaijan solve this problem. The mine problem is a humanitarian problem, not a political one. The European Union is interested in its solution in Azerbaijan. But this is a very long process,” Michalko said.

According to him, the EU has been providing Azerbaijan with support in this area since the first days after the end of the war.

“People are now returning to these areas and they must be extremely careful not to become victims of mines. Over the past three years, the European Union has allocated more than 8 million euros for mine clearance, and our support for Azerbaijan in this matter will continue,” Michalko said.

On the other hand, director of LINKS Europe Dennis Sammut said that Azerbaijan receives insufficient assistance in the field of mine clearance.

According to him, it is necessary to regularly inform the international community about such a humanitarian problem as mine explosions.

“We must try to ensure that countries in the regions resolve this issue together. I would like the countries of the South Caucasus to join the Ottawa Convention banning the use of mines. We must take steps to ensure that the South Caucasus is cleared of mines. Because Azerbaijan receives insufficient assistance in the field of mine clearance, the work carried out does not correspond to the scale of the problem. Next year we will invite donor organizations to Azerbaijan so that the scale of mine clearance work can be increased,” he stressed.