Today.Az » Society » Azerbaijan getting rid of unusable ammo as mine clearance op goes ahead in Karabakh
23 May 2022 [16:23] - Today.Az


Units of the Azerbaijan Army are continuing disposal of expired and unusable ammunition in a planned manner in compliance with safety measures, Azernews reports, citing the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry.

According to the ministry, the process will be carried out from May 23 to May 28, 2022, at the Seyfali training range.

The public will be periodically informed about the ongoing activities.

In a related report, the Mine Action Agency said that some 333 mines and unexploded ordnance were discovered and defused in the Azerbaijani liberated territories in the past week.

During the demining operations, the agency discovered 109 anti-personnel, 69 anti-tank mines, and 155 unexploded ordnances in Tartar, Aghdam, Fuzuli, Shusha, Gubadli, Jabrayil, and Zangilan regions, the report added.

Some 413 ha area was cleared of mines and unexploded ordnances during the reported period.

Armenia alleged it submitted to Azerbaijan all minefield maps of the liberated territories following the talks through the mediation of the Russian Defence Ministry on December 4, 2021.

On March 2, Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov stated that the low accuracy of the minefield maps Armenia handed over to Azerbaijan slows the mine-clearance process.

"The demining operations are underway, but people are still losing their lives. From the end of the 44-day Second Karabakh War to the present, over 200 people have become victims of mine explosions in liberated lands," Bayramov said at that point.

He added that the high mine contamination of the liberated territories hinders the return of former internally displaced persons to their native lands.

ANAMA, along with partner countries, is carrying out demining activities on its liberated territories. Moreover, the State Border Service and the Defence Ministry are also engaged in demining activities in the liberated lands.

Armenia deliberately and constantly planted mines on Azerbaijani territories, in violation of the 1949 Geneva Convention, 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 regions.

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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