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Akbar Novruz

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Azerbaijan has allocated approximately $590 million to humanitarian demining activities since November 2020, with only around 4 percent of the funding coming from international support, Chairman of the Mine Action Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan (ANAMA) Vugar Suleymanov said.

Speaking at the 4th International Mine Action Conference in Baku, Suleymanov said the figures demonstrate Azerbaijan’s strong national ownership in addressing the mine problem left by decades of conflict.

“Since November 2020, approximately 590 million US Dollars has been allocated to humanitarian demining activities in the country. Only around 4% of this amount has come from international support, while the remaining part has been covered by the Government of Azerbaijan,” he said.

According to Suleymanov, ANAMA and other institutions involved in humanitarian demining have cleared more than 298,000 hectares of land and neutralized more than 260,000 mines and other explosive remnants of war since the end of the 44-day Patriotic War.

He stressed, however, that the scale of contamination remains extremely large, making stronger international support necessary to accelerate clearance operations and reduce risks to civilians.

“Stronger international support is essential to accelerate clearance, reduce risks for civilians, and enable the timely implementation of urban recovery and development projects in the liberated territories,” Suleymanov said.

He emphasized that international cooperation should extend beyond direct support for mine-clearance operations, arguing that humanitarian mine action should be viewed as an investment in human security, safe return and sustainable development.

“International cooperation in mine action should not be seen only as support to clearance operations. It should be understood as an investment in human security, safe return, sustainable development and long-term peace,” he said.

Suleymanov made the remarks during the conference dedicated to the theme “Humanitarian Demining for Urban Recovery: Setting Standards of Excellence for Safe Settlements.”

He said Azerbaijan is ready to share its experience with international partners while also learning from other countries and organizations involved in mine action.

“No country can address the mine problem alone. International cooperation, technical exchange, donor support, innovation and strong national ownership are all necessary if we want to move from contamination to recovery, and from risk to resilience,” he added.