Reps. from int'l think tank organizations view mine clearance operations in Fuzuli

Representatives of leading think tanks from a number of countries who came to take part in the Shusha conference got acquainted with the process of mine clearing in the liberated territories of Azerbaijan.

According to Report, the leading experts from the USA, Great Britain, Sweden, Italy, France, Romania, Turkey, Georgia and other countries visited the section of a road, which is being constructed from Ahmedbeyli in the Fuzuli region to Shusha, cleared from landmines.

The representative of the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA), Habil Aliyev, informed the guests about the course of work in this segment.

According to him, the territory is heavily mined. During the Armenian occupation, there were enemy trenches nearby, the paths to which were mined by Armenian forces from all sides, leaving only a small pathway for passage. He mentioned that during the demining operations of the first kilometre of this territory, the sappers found and neutralized 9 mined areas. At present, they are working on clearing the second kilometre, where five lanes of mine barriers have been revealed, according to the ANAMA official.

"Such a number of found mines testifies to their random placement. Armenia has handed over minefield maps of the area, but they are imprecise and turned out to be practically useless," Babayev said, adding the mine clearance operations were conducted manually and involving specially trained mine detection dogs.

The foreign experts have further viewed with samples of mines and ammunition found in this area and observed their detonation by ANAMA specialists.