Ex-envoy: Demining one of greatest challenges facing Azerbaijan

Former US Ambassador to Azerbaijan Matthew Bryza has said that one of the most difficult tasks facing Azerbaijan in restoring its liberated territories is the clearance of all landmines.

"To get rid of all the mines without knowing their locations, without having maps, it could take 50 years. So the challenge, from my point of view, is to create new cities, to return people safely to their former places of residence by demining those areas, and to rebuild a safe environment after removing all the mines. That's the big challenge," Trend quotes Bryza as saying.

According to him, it is not easy to realise all these plans, as several processes are taking place simultaneously. While former IDPs are returning to their native lands, the construction of road and municipal infrastructure continues.

"And then you have to create good living conditions. Grocery shops, schools, hospitals, food facilities - all of this must be built simultaneously with the return of people, which can be difficult to coordinate," he said.

The visit of high-ranking government officials, authoritative foreign experts and representatives of international think tanks to Zangilan started on December 5.

They are taking part in the conference "Karabakh: Homecoming after 30 years. Achievements and Challenges". The delegation includes 60 representatives from 30 countries.