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Azerbaijani mine agency chief raps Armenia for planting mines in de-occupied lands to kill civilians

20 October 2022 12:50 (UTC+04:00)
Azerbaijani mine agency chief raps Armenia for planting mines in de-occupied lands to kill civilians

By Sabina Mammadli

Mines planted by Armenians not for military purposes, but for civilians were detected on Azerbaijan's liberated territories, Сhairman of the Board of the National Mine Action Agency Vugar Suleymanov said.

He made the remark during panel discussions at the Baku International Conference of Ombudspersons and National Human Rights and Institutions, dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the Ombudsman's Office.

Noting that Armenians laid mines in cemeteries, near springs, on sown areas, as well as on railways and roads under power lines, Suleymanov added that a total of 3,342 people became victims of mine explosions in the second Karabakh war.

“Of these 357 were children and 38 women. Explosions of cluster weapons, prohibited by the international convention, occurred in 131 cases," Suleymanov stressed.

Further, he emphasized that the territory with a total area of 56,573 ha has been de-mined from November 2020 through October 2022.

He noted that the area of territories that are planned to be cleared in 2022 is 40,000 hectares.

"Up to 36,000 hectares have already been cleared of mines, and by the end of the year, the designated area will be completely cleared of mines," Suleymanov added.

He stressed that the annual de-mining plan is to be increased to 65,000 hectares.

Armenia spared no efforts to plant land mines on Azerbaijani territory, not only during the 30 years of occupation but also just before days of quitting Azerbaijani lands as envisaged in the trilateral statement in order to cause human casualties.

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.

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