BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 2. More than 298,000 hectares of territory have been cleared of mines since the end of the 44-day war, with the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA) and other organizations involved in humanitarian demining operations neutralizing more than 260,000 mines and other explosive ordnance, ANAMA Board Chairman Vugar Suleymanov said, Trend’s correspondent reports from the event.
Suleymanov made the remark at the 4th International Mine Action Conference, titled “Humanitarian Demining for Urban Recovery: Setting Standards of Excellence for Safe Settlements.”
He noted that the figures represented more than operational results. “These figures represent roads that have been reopened, villages that have been rebuilt, power lines that have been restored, agricultural land that has been returned to use, and opportunities created for people to return to their ancestral homes,” the chairman said.
Suleymanov said that since November 2020, demining operations have been directly integrated into the reconstruction and urban recovery of the liberated territories. “During this period, more than 103,000 hectares have been cleared specifically to support residential infrastructure, enabling the construction of new settlements and residential complexes, schools, hospitals, public facilities and essential services for returning residents. In addition, land critical for roads, energy infrastructure, agriculture and other priority projects has also been cleared,” he said.
