Presidential Representative on Special Assignments: Scale of international support for mine action efforts remains very limited
Baku, September 3, AZERTAC
“Since the end of the 2020 war, 437 people in Azerbaijan have been killed or injured by landmines. And every single new victim is more than a humanitarian tragedy. It is a psychological blow to families. It is also a reminder to society that the war is not yet completely behind us. And it inevitably negatively affects public confidence in the process of normalization,” Elchin Amirbayov, Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on Special Assignments, said in his address to the 4th International Mine Action Conference themed “Humanitarian Demining for Urban Recovery: Setting Standards of Excellence for Safe Settlements.”
“This is why I would argue that every mine explosion today has consequences far beyond the immediate victim. It hampers the atmosphere in which peace is being built. This is particularly important in Azerbaijan because we are not dealing with a small, isolated contaminated area. More than 13 percent of our territory has been contaminated by mines and unexploded ordnance. And almost six years after the end of the war, 75 percent of mine-contaminated territory is still full of seeds of death. This is a serious human security and return problem.
“There is another dimension that makes this particularly urgent. Azerbaijan today is undertaking one of the largest post-conflict reconstruction efforts in our region, if not in the world. Former IDPs are returning to their homes. Villages and towns are being rebuilt. Roads, schools, hospitals, and economic infrastructure are being constructed. But there is a very simple truth: You cannot rebuild a community before you can safely clear the ground beneath it. So, when we talk about demining, we should also talk about the right to return, the right to rebuild, and the right to live without fear,” Elchin Amirbayov noted.
“Azerbaijan is very grateful to each and every country and organization that has supported our mine-action efforts to date. We do take this as a sign of friendship and solidarity, both with those directly affected and with Azerbaijan. But the scale of international support remains very limited. Approximately 95 percent of the financing comes from Azerbaijan’s own state resources. Only around 5 percent comes from outside. We believe that this imbalance can and needs to change,” the Presidential Representative added.
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