The Germany-based European Azerbaijan Center made an urgent appeal to international organizations following the explosions that took place on April 6-7 in liberated but still mined areas of Azerbaijan, injuring five people, including children.
The Center said in a statement that mines deliberately planted by Armenia during its occupation of Azerbaijani territories still pose a major threat. According to Caliber.Az, citing local sources, this tragic incident has once again highlighted the seriousness of the mine danger that has persisted in the region since the Second Karabakh War, which ended in November 2020. According to the statement, a total of 392 people have been killed or injured in Azerbaijan as a result of mine explosions since the end of the war. This figure is considered as a striking indicator of how big a threat mines continue to pose in the region. Although Azerbaijan has made significant progress in demining, there are serious obstacles to the process. Foremost among these obstacles is Armenia’s refusal to share maps of the millions of mines laid during the occupation period. The maps that are shared are either incomplete, inaccurate or completely useless. This seriously jeopardizes the reconstruction of the country as well as the safety of civilians. The European Azerbaijan Center called on the international community to recognize the magnitude of the humanitarian catastrophe caused by these mines and called for both political and technical support for Azerbaijan’s demining efforts. It also emphasized that Armenia’s failure to provide accurate mine maps, in violation of international law, is a serious problem for which it must be held accountable. “Mines are not only a physical threat, but also an obstacle to peace, stability and the reconstruction of our region,” the statement said, adding that the international community should heed this call and take a more active stance. Given the ongoing mine risk in the region, the international community must support Azerbaijan and contribute to building a safer future for the people of the region before more lives are lost, the Center stressed.
https://caliber.az/en/post/european-azerbaijan-centre-urges-global-action-on-ongoing-mine-threats
