(MENAFN- AzerNews)
By Sabina Mammadli
The French embassy in Baku has handed over 130 landmine
detectors to Azerbaijan in accordance with the declaration of
intent dated February 25, 2022.
The move is aimed at supporting Azerbaijan's humanitarian
de-mining activities and the handover took place at the Horadiz
office of the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action
(ANAMA).
Chairman of the ANAMA Board Vugar Suleymanov and French
ambassador Zacharie Gross spoke at the ceremony.
Suleymanov noted that the detectors provided by the embassy will
ensure a much safer environment by contributing to the mine and UXO
clearance activities carried out in Azerbaijan.
Afterward, they viewed the detectors, landmines, and unexploded
ordnances, organized by the agency.
In a similar vein, Chairman of the Azerbaijani Mine Ban Campaign
Hafiz Safikhanov said that three people, two of whom are civilians,
got injured as a result of landmine and unexploded ordnance
explosions during three incidents in Khojavand, Jabrayil, and
Kalbajar districts of Azerbaijan in July 2022.
According to him, two cases were related to the anti-tank mine
blasts.
“In the first seven months of 2022, a total of 35 people got
injured, three people were killed, two of whom – from cluster
munitions. During the period between November 10, 2020, and August
1, 2022, 102 civilians suffered, 32 people were killed, and 70 were
injured,' Safikhanov said.
He noted despite regular appeals from public agencies and civil
society institutions, illegal visits to the liberated territories
still take place, which poses a mine threat to their lives.
In violation of the 1949 Geneva Convention, Armenia deliberately
and constantly planted mines on Azerbaijani territories, thereby
being a major threat to regional peace, security, and
cooperation.
Previously, on June 12, Azerbaijan handed over 15 Armenian
prisoners in exchange for a map detailing the location of 97,000
mines in formerly-occupied Aghdam.
On July 3, Armenia submitted to Azerbaijan maps of about 92,000
anti-tank and anti-personnel mines planted during the occupation of
Fuzuli and Zangilan districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a Russian-brokered peace agreement
on November 10, 2020, to end the 44-day fighting in Karabakh and
work toward a comprehensive peace deal.
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Sabina Mammadli is AzerNews' staff journalist, follow her on
Twitter: @SabinaMmdl
Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
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