Azernews.Az

Ulviyya Poladova

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July 18 marks the 28th anniversary of the establishment of the Azerbaijan Mine Action Agency (ANAMA), the country's leading institution responsible for coordinating mine action and clearing territories contaminated by landmines and unexploded ordnance, AzerNEWS reports.

ANAMA was established in 1998 by decree of Azerbaijan's National Leader Heydar Aliyev. Under a presidential decree signed by President Ilham Aliyev on January 15, 2021, the agency was restructured as a public legal entity on the basis of the former National Agency for Mine Action. Today, ANAMA serves as the government's principal authority responsible for coordinating and overseeing all mine action activities in the country.

The agency's primary mission is to clear territories liberated from occupation and other war-affected areas of landmines and unexploded ordnance, contributing to the safe return of residents, economic recovery, and humanitarian development.

Following Azerbaijan's victory in the 2020 Patriotic War under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, which ended nearly three decades of Armenian occupation of Karabakh, ANAMA assumed significantly expanded responsibilities. To meet these challenges, the agency strengthened its technical capabilities, increased its workforce, improved operational methods, and introduced new approaches to mine clearance, including the active involvement of women in demining operations.

According to ANAMA, demining efforts have so far cleared 287,385 hectares of land in the liberated territories. During these operations, specialists have detected and neutralized a total of 255,200 explosive devices, including 189,097 items of unexploded ordnance, 42,235 anti-personnel mines, and 23,868 anti-tank mines.

The agency continues to conduct large-scale operations using modern technologies, innovative techniques, mechanical demining equipment, mine detection dogs, and highly trained specialists.

In addition to clearance operations, ANAMA is implementing conservation measures in heavily contaminated areas to facilitate the restoration of safe living conditions and support the successful implementation of Azerbaijan's Great Return program, aimed at resettling former internally displaced persons in the liberated territories.