BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 3. Azerbaijan has
issued an appeal to the international community over the ongoing
threat posed by landmines, Trend reports.


The Azerbaijan National NGO Forum and the Public Council under
the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA) released a
joint statement on the occasion of the International Day for Mine
Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action.


“We, the members of the Azerbaijan National NGO Forum and the
Public Council under ANAMA, appeal to the international community
on the occasion of April 4, the International Day for Mine
Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action.


The mine threat remains one of the most acute challenges on the
global humanitarian agenda. Today, more than 10 million landmines
are believed to be buried across over 60 countries worldwide. This
number continues to rise amid ongoing wars and armed conflicts,
further expanding the geographic scope of the threat.


Azerbaijan is among the countries most severely affected and
ranks among the most heavily mine-contaminated nations globally. In
the territories liberated from occupation, vast areas, estimated at
around 12,000 square kilometers, remain polluted with landmines and
unexploded ordnance. These areas are believed to contain around 1
million mines and explosive remnants of war. Since 1991, nearly
3,400 people have fallen victim to mines planted by Armenia.


The Azerbaijani government continues to carry out intensive
demining operations in the liberated territories. Thanks to the
dedicated efforts of demining personnel, more than 248,000 hectares
of land have been cleared to date. However, the scale of
contamination remains significant, further complicated by the
inaccuracy and limited reliability of mine maps provided by
Armenia.







Since the end of the 2020 Patriotic War, 421 Azerbaijani
citizens have been affected by mine explosions, including 72
fatalities and 349 serious injuries. These figures underscore that
landmines continue to pose a grave and persistent threat to human
life even in the post-conflict period. Contaminated areas not only
endanger daily life but also hinder agricultural development and
delay the safe return of internally displaced persons to their
homes.


Mine clearance is a key prerequisite for achieving the United
Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals. Azerbaijan has
recognized this importance by designating mine clearance as a
national-level Sustainable Development Goal. The country is also
actively working to foster international partnerships in combating
mines and unexploded ordnance. In this context, the UN has proposed
humanitarian mine action as Sustainable Development Goal 18,
highlighting the need to focus on countries most affected by
landmines.


It is essential to keep the mine threat at the forefront of the
international agenda.


We urge the international community to adopt a consistent and
principled stance on mine risks. We call on all partners to support
Azerbaijan’s initiatives in this field and to increase technical
and financial assistance to countries facing similar challenges.
The rehabilitation of mine victims, the restoration of disrupted
lives, and the protection of future generations are shared moral
responsibilities that demand urgent action," reads the
statement.


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