BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 28. The next mine and explosive ordnance safety awareness training sessions have been held in Azerbaijan’s Agdam district as part of a grant project implemented by the Eurasian Regional Development Foundation (ERDF) with joint support from the State Support Agency for NGOs of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Karabakh Revival Fund, and coordinated by the Azerbaijan Mine Action Agency (ANAMA).
According to the International Eurasia Press Fund (IEPF), four training sessions were held as part of the project, two each at Agdam No. 1 Secondary School in the reconstructed city of Agdam and at Kangarli village secondary school.
Students were informed about the dangers posed by mines and explosive ordnance, the main signs of hazardous areas and proper safety procedures in such situations.
The training sessions were attended by project manager Khudaverdi Guliyev, project manager’s assistant and mine survivor Vidadi Mammadzade, mine and explosive ordnance risk education trainer Kamran Mammadli, and IEPF Regional Administrative Director Ruslan Ibrahimli.
Guliyev said awareness-raising efforts on the dangers of mines and explosive ordnance are particularly important among children and teenagers as the return and resettlement process continues in Azerbaijan’s liberated territories.
He also thanked the donor organizations for their support for the project and the Special Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Agdam, Fuzuli and Khojavand districts for supporting the organization of the training sessions in Agdam district.
Mammadzade, who was injured by a mine, shared his personal experience of the dangers posed by mines and explosive ordnance and urged students to stay away from suspicious objects and strictly follow safety rules.
During subsequent sessions, trainer Kamran Mammadli provided detailed information about different types of mines, booby traps and surprise mines, unexploded ordnance, signs of hazardous areas, proper procedures for dealing with suspicious objects and notifying relevant authorities.
Special awareness materials prepared as part of the project were also distributed among participants.
The grant project aims to raise awareness of the dangers of mines and explosive ordnance among people living, working and studying in Agdam, Aghdara and Khojavand districts, as well as Khankendi, thereby helping prevent mine incidents and protect public safety.
