Since November 2020, more than 103,000 hectares of land have been cleared of mines, Vugar Suleymanov, Chairman of the Board of the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA), stated at the 4th International Mine Action Conference on the theme "Humanitarian Demining for Urban Recovery: Setting Standards of Excellence for Safe Settlements", Report informs.
The chairman highlighted that mine clearance operations have been directly linked to the reconstruction of liberated territories and the restoration of cities:
"Cleared areas have enabled the creation of new residential settlements, housing complexes, schools, hospitals, public facilities, and essential services for returning residents. In addition, land cleared of mines has been crucial for roads, energy infrastructure, agriculture, and other priority projects."
Suleymanov underlined that the main goal of this year's conference is to ensure full safety in liberated territories and to exchange views on this process: "Urban recovery in our country's liberated territories does not begin with construction. It starts with making the land safe. Roads must be cleared of mines before they are built, and schools must have safe surroundings before they open."
According to him, Azerbaijan has demonstrated strong national will and responsibility in addressing the mine problem. He added that since November 2020, approximately $590 million has been allocated for humanitarian demining, with about 4% provided through international support and the remainder funded by the Azerbaijani government.
Following the 44-day Patriotic War, ANAMA and other agencies involved in humanitarian demining have cleared more than 298,000 hectares and neutralized over 260,000 mines and explosive devices, Suleymanov noted.
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