Over 400 mine victims in Azerbaijan since 2020, UN ambassador reports

Azerbaijan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Tofig Musayev, has stated that since November 2020, during the post-conflict period, 409 people in Azerbaijan have become victims of landmines.

Speaking during the general debates of the UN General Assembly’s First Committee, Musayev said that the majority of those affected were civilians. According to him, 71 people, including women and children, have been killed, while another 338 have sustained severe injuries.

The Azerbaijani diplomat underscored that the aftermath of the former conflict has turned Azerbaijan into one of the world’s most heavily mine-contaminated countries.

“At present, there are more than 1.5 million landmines and unexploded ordnance laid across the liberated territories,” Musayev said.

Referring to the UN Secretary-General’s report on mine action, the ambassador drew attention to the difficulties faced by the international humanitarian disarmament mechanism, which he attributed to limited financial resources. He stressed that demining operations require stronger international coordination and enhanced financial support.

Musayev also spoke about ongoing efforts aimed at normalising relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia. He recalled that following the end of the conflict, Azerbaijan proposed the signing of a peace treaty with Armenia, grounded in five key principles of international law.

“The foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia reached an agreement on August 8, 2025, on a preliminary text of the ‘Agreement on Peace and Interstate Relations.’ This represents an important and historic step toward the final resolution of the long-standing conflict,” the ambassador emphasised.

By Tamilla Hasanova