The online lecture "Land mines in Karabakh. Seeking solutions" was co-organized on November 22 by ADA University and the British Embassy in Baku.
The discussion was held in the framework of "Global Perspective Lecture Series", the flagship platform of ADA University that brings together representatives from various sectors to exchange perspectives on pressing issues.
The lecture, moderated by Dr. Fariz Ismailzade, Executive Vice-rector of ADA University was attended by scholars, representatives of think tanks and international organizations, officials, and diplomats.
In his keynote address, Dr. Fariz Ismailzade outlined the ongoing processes towards cleaning what he described as the “liberated territories” of Azerbaijan from explosive remnants while touching upon the security dynamics in the region.
United Kingdom Ambassador James Sharp focused on the demining operations underway in Azerbaijan; and the challenge posed by explosive contamination to the task of returning Azerbaijani IDPs to their homelands and developing the recovered territories.
"The UK has funded ANAMA, the United Nations Development Programme and UNICEF to help Azerbaijan deal with land mines. We are sharing the best British expertise, providing billboards, conducting training for mine clearance workers and increasing community awareness about the risks of unexploded mines," said Ambassador Sharp.
Talking about fundamental components of demining, such as gathering information, analyzing, and sharing data to support the decision-making, David Hewitson, Director of Operations, Fenix Insight LDT said that the more transparent information is provided, the less risks and uncertainty emerge.
Stuart Maslen, Honorary Professor at the University of Pretoria talked about international controls on the use of landmines such as the UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons. Maslen said that Azerbaijan could sign this convention rapidly and that participation would being Azerbaijan extra opportunities to accelerate the process of mine clearance.
The online discussion concluded with a Question and Answer session on topics such as establishing sustainable peace and stability in the region as well as the ways to speed up the de-mining process.