AGHDARA, Azerbaijan, December 15. The Azerbaijani government has put all the efforts into de-mining, Chairman of the public association "Azerbaijan Campaign Against Landmines" Hafiz Safikhanov told Trend.
Safikhanov made the statement during a media tour organized in the territory of Aghdara district liberated from Armenian occupation, where demining operations are being carried out.
"There are areas where 6-8 anti-personnel mines were found on one square meter. Armenia massively installed mines of its production on the territory of Azerbaijan. The data obtained after the second Karabakh war and the anti-terrorist activities of local characters show that there are more than one and a half million mines and unexploded ordnance on the territory of Azerbaijan," Safikhanov said.
"This shows once again that our territories are massively contaminated with mines and unexploded ordnance. Taking this into account, immediately after the end of the second Karabakh war Azerbaijan immediately declared de-mining a priority and sent all the forces available in the arsenal to demining," he added.
He noted that the National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA), engineering and fortification troops of the Defense Ministry, relevant units of the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the State Border Service were involved in demining.
"In addition, four commercial structures in the field of demining were established. One of them has been functioning in this direction for a long time. Remotely controlled robots, as well as bomb-sniffing dogs and rats are imported into the country. Azerbaijan is already producing demining machines domestically. Moreover, a female de-mining team has been created," Safikhanov emphasized.
Media representatives observed the process of destruction of mines and unexploded ordnance.
The purpose of the visit was to familiarize with mine and unexploded ordnance clearance works carried out by engineering and fortification units of the Azerbaijani army in the territories of Azerbaijan liberated from Armenian occupation.
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