BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 4. Azerbaijan expects
OSCE to be more active in the field of mine clearance in the
country and implement specific projects, Azerbaijani Foreign
Minister Jeyhun Bayramov told reporters on the sidelines of a joint
briefing with Member of the Federal Council of Switzerland and Head
of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, OSCE
Chairperson-in-Office, Ignazio Cassis, in Baku today, Trend's correspondent
reports from the event.


The minister noted that the contamination of the liberated
territories in Azerbaijan with mines and unexploded ordnance is one
of the most serious problems for the country.


According to him, since the 2020 Second Karabakh War, 433 people
have died or received various degrees of bodily injuries as a
result of mine explosions.


Bayramov pointed out that mine clearance work was carried out in
Azerbaijan even before 2020, and the Azerbaijan National Agency for
Mine Action (ANAMA) was established at that time. However, the
scale of the problem has completely changed after the territories
were liberated from occupation.


"Today, the main burden of mine clearance work falls on the
Azerbaijani state. Along with ANAMA, the Ministry of Defense, the
Ministry of Emergency Situations, and several private companies
also participate in this process," the minister said.


He emphasized that although some states and international
organizations support Azerbaijan in this direction, the main part
of the work is carried out through the country's own resources.


According to the minister, it is important for the organization
to pay more attention to this area in terms of eliminating the
consequences of one of the longest-running conflicts in the OSCE
area, developing the region, expanding transport links, and
ensuring the safe return of former internally displaced persons to
their homelands.


"Considering the OSCE's experience in implementing various
projects and the serious potential of a number of member states in
the field of mine clearance, our expectation is that the OSCE will
be more active in this direction and organize the implementation of
specific mine clearance projects in Azerbaijan," Bayramov
stressed.


The minister also said that Azerbaijan regularly raises this
issue at OSCE platforms in Vienna and once again brought these
expectations to the attention of Cassis during his visit to
Baku.