Amenia’s refusal to provide maps of mines placed in Azerbaijan’s formerly occupied territories, demonstrates Yerevan’s unconstructive approach, Russian military expert Igor Korotchenko has said as quoted by Azernews.
Korotchenko said that there are hundreds of square kilometres of mined areas on Azerbaijan’s liberated territories.
“Without a map, it’s difficult to ensure the safe return of peaceful Azerbaijanis who became internally-displaced persons 30 years ago. Unfortunately, we do not see the goodwill of Armenia in this matter. Armenia does not want to provide a map of mined territories as always,” Korotcheko said.
Sixteen Azerbaijanis – including 11 civilians – in mine explosions in the newly-liberated territories since the end of the war on November 10.
Azerbaijan seriously worries about the cases of mine explosions affecting the civilians and soldiers in the liberated territories after the end of the Second Karabakh War, military expert Shair Ramaldanov said, Trend reports on Feb.22. According to Ramaldanov, Armenia refuses to provide a map of minefields for the territories, stating that it doesn’t exist.
“Of course, this is another lie of Armenia. The goal is clear – to achieve the death of as many people as possible and to delay as much as possible the process of return of Azerbaijanis to the liberated territories,” he noted.
The expert also pointed out that the mined area is rather large.
“The Azerbaijani government uses all available opportunities, taking necessary security measures and appealing to international organizations for demining the territories. Turkish specialists have also joined the demining process,” Ramaldanov said.
The Azerbaijan Mine Action Agency earlier said that citizens are not allowed to visit them without special permission.
Since November, President Aliyev has been expanding the capacity of the state demining agency beyond the 500 specialists it had employed before the Russian-brokered cease-fire. Within days of the November agreement, Russia’s military sent a unit of deminers with trained dogs to search for and defuse mines and unexploded munitions in areas where Russian peacekeepers are deployed.
Weeks later, Azerbaijan announced the arrival of 136 mine-clearance experts from Turkey’s military — along with metal detectors and protective equipment for deminers.
The Turkish troops began in early December to train more Azerbaijanis to clear mines. The head of the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry’s Engineer and Fortification Service, Major-General Anar Karimov, says 20 “MEMATT” mine-sweeping vehicles supplied by Turkey also have been successfully tested and are being deployed in some of the most heavily mined areas.
On February 3, Aliyev announced that mine clearance in the liberated lands would be the first step in the process to return IDPs to their homes. The president said that mine clearance was a big process as Armenians refuse to give Azerbaijan maps of minefields.
“That is why explosions are frequent now. We are now reshaping the Mine Action Agency, and it will be more efficient now. But it will take some time. Of course, mine clearance work must be completed.”
The president also urged Azerbaijanis not to visit the newly-liberated areas until they have been demined. Aliyev signed a decree on February 2 on ensuring the activity of the Mine Clearance Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan liberated around 300 villages, city centres, settlements and historic Shusha city in the war that lasted from September 27 and November 10. Other Armenian-occupied districts – Kalbajar, Aghdam and Lachin – returned to Azerbaijan’s control after the singing of the Russian-brokered Karabakh peace deal on November 10.