UN Secretary General António Guterres received a letter from Azerbaijan's representative to the organization, Yashar Aliyev, with an appeal to pay attention to the problem of mine contamination of the liberated territories of the country. The mines endanger the local population and hinder efforts to revive the region.
Yashar Aliyev emphasized that Azerbaijan is still facing the consequences of the Armenian occupation. About 3.4 thousand people, including women and children, have suffered from mines. Over the entire period, more than 1.5 million mines and other explosive devices have been found on the territory of the liberated territories.
"700,000 people had to leave their homes, and a significant part of the country's sovereign territory was under illegal occupation for about 30 years",
Yashar Aliyev said.
He also noted that mines are not only on the front line, but also in the city limits near civilian objects. Aliyev accused Armenia of violating international humanitarian law by refusing to publish a map of minefields. He called on the UN to put pressure on Yerevan to resolve this problem.
It should be noted that demining is included in Azerbaijan's National Sustainable Development Goals.
