Azerbaijan Reveals Number Of Mine Victims Following Second Karabakh War

(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 8. A total of 438 people have become victims of mines and other explosive ordnance in Azerbaijan, 73 of whom lost their lives, since the end of the Second Karabakh War, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA), Vugar Suleymanov, said during a high-level roundtable on "Advantages and Challenges of AI-integration to the Multi-hazard Early Warning Systems" within the framework of the 4th Baku Climate Action Week (BCAW), Trend 's correspondent reports from the event.

He noted that ensuring security, identifying risks in advance and informing people about dangers in a timely manner is a general approach that combines various areas.

According to Suleymanov, as a result of climate change, the intensity of floods, landslides, droughts, forest fires and other natural disasters is increasing. At the same time, mines and other explosive ordnance left after conflicts create serious obstacles to the safety of the population, infrastructure projects, agriculture, the urban development process and the return of people to their native lands.

"Azerbaijan is among the countries most contaminated with mines in the world. According to preliminary estimates, during the occupation of our territories, the Karabakh and East Zangezur economic regions had been contaminated with more than 1 million mines," the ANAMA chairman noted.

He emphasized that the scale of the mine threat is not measured only by the number of mines and explosive devices.

"Mine threat is a problem that affects the safety of soil, water, biodiversity and the ecosystem as a whole," Suleymanov said.

The ANAMA chairman noted that mine-contaminated areas pose a threat not only to the clean ecological environment, but also to the right to life of people who are part of the ecosystem.

According to him, since the end of the 44-day Second Karabakh War, ANAMA and other organizations involved in humanitarian demining activities have cleared 300,565 hectares of land and neutralized 261,705 mines and other explosive ordnance.

He said that 31,037 hectares have been cleared of explosive ordnance for the installation of early warning systems, 132,447 hectares for agriculture, 71,202 hectares for the development of residential infrastructure, 12,443 hectares for energy infrastructure, and 8,447 hectares for land reclamation and water management projects.

Suleymanov noted that in order to ensure a safe and sustainable return to the liberated territories, along with the demining process, areas highly contaminated with mines and other explosive ordnance are being conserved and fenced off.

"Every hectare of land cleared of mines is a new opportunity for the future," he emphasized.

Besides, the ANAMA chairman said that humanitarian mine clearance activities in Azerbaijan are carried out in accordance with the International Mine Clearance Standards using the most modern and advanced technologies available in the world.

According to him, during clearance operations, detectors and magnetic locators, deep search devices, and DGPS equipment are used to accurately obtain geographical coordinates in the areas.

Moreover, special-purpose mechanical mine clearance vehicles are used in survey and clearance operations, and unmanned aerial vehicles are used for more accurate study and exploration of the area.

"Azerbaijan is ready to develop its experience in this area and expand cooperation with international partners. We believe that artificial intelligence, digital technologies and early warning mechanisms can make a significant contribution to protecting people's lives, reducing risks and ensuring safe development," Suleymanov added.

The second day of the Fourth Climate Week (CW4) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change is being held in Baku.

The main focus of the second day is on sustainable cities, transport, water resources and agriculture.

Representatives of governments and international organizations, experts, financial institutions, the private sector, and civil society from various countries are attending the events.

Now in its third year, Baku Climate Action Week is being held in parallel with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Climate Week for the first time this year. The Fourth Climate Week and Baku Climate Action Week will feature a series of sessions, panel discussions and other events on climate change, climate finance, sustainable development and accelerating climate action.

Baku Climate Action Week (BCAW 2026) will continue until September 11.

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