ANAMA: Over 1 million hectares yet polluted with mine

During a recent discussion at the Milli Majlis Committee of Defence, Security, and Counter-Corruption, Bahruz Mammadov, the First Deputy Chairman of the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA), revealed the extent of hazardous areas in Azerbaijan's liberated territories, Azernews reports.

"According to our preliminary assessment, there are currently nearly 1 million 167 thousand hectares of hazardous areas in Azerbaijan's liberated territories," Mammadov stated.

He also shared details about the progress of demining efforts over the past four years: "166,000 hectares, or 14.2 percent of the total area, has been cleared of mines. After four years of demining works, these figures suggest that the process will continue for a long time."

Mammadov highlighted the importance of legislation to support these efforts, stating, "This is one of the reasons for developing the Law on ‘Demining.’ Each country should prepare its internal documents in compliance with international standards. While drafting the national mine legislation, the Agency used all the accumulated experience - recommendations of international organizations and the experience of countries which have land mine problems."

The ongoing mine clearance operations are critical to the safe rehabilitation and resettlement of these territories, which were reclaimed following the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The establishment of proper legal frameworks will ensure a systematic approach to addressing the mine contamination issue.