Azerbaijan is bearing the brunt of a 30-year long conflict and occupation of its lands by Armenia, suffering from mine pollution problem and stands among the most mine-polluted countries of the world, roughly 12% of the country’s territory is polluted by 1.5 million mines and an unknown number of unexploded ordnances, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said, addressing the participants of the Conference titled “Mitigating Environmental Impact of Landmines: Resource Mobilization for Safe and Green Future” held in Zangilan.
The conference is attended by Ambassador of the EU to Azerbaijan Peter Michalko, UN Resident Coordinator in Azerbaijan Vladanka Andreeva, international experts and public members.
"Since the end of the war in 2020, 361 of our citizens, mostly civilians, have fallen victim to mine explosion, resulting in 68 deaths and 293 severe injuries. Overall, since the beginning of Armenia’s aggression against Azerbaijan, over 3400 of our citizens have suffered from mines, including 358 children and 38 women," Ilham Aliyev said.
The steady increase in the number of mine victims is associated with Armenia’s refusal to provide the accurate maps of the mines it planted across Azerbaijan’s territory, and with placing booby traps along the roads, cemeteries, and other civilian facilities located behind the former line of contact.
