Azerbaijan seeks South Korea's support in demining efforts

Azerbaijan is seeking increased support from South Korea in its ongoing demining efforts, Elchin Amirbayov, Special Representative of the President of Azerbaijan for Special Assignments, has said.

“Another big area where we expect Korea to assist us is the issue of demining because the areas, which were affected by the conflict — and we are talking about 12 percent of our territory, have been heavily contaminated by landmines and unexploded ordnance,” Amirbayov said in an interview with The Korea Times at the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Seoul, Monday.

“We have to deal with 1.5 million landmines which were planted by Armenians throughout these years. They refuse to provide us with mine maps or correct mine maps, so we don't know where those mines are concentrated, which brings us an ever-increasing human toll,” Amirbayov said.

“After the ceasefire, the number of mine victims has reached 377 up until today, and I think the 378th person got wounded today because he stepped on a mine. Out of those, 69 have died,” Amirbayov said.

He stressed that this issue is both a "human security issue and a big humanitarian issue" as the government aims to return 800,000 internally displaced persons to their homes in the affected areas.

“So far, we have only been able to bring back roughly 8,000 people because the territories are heavily mined. You cannot bring people back unless you are sure that the land is safe,” Amirbayov said.

Amirbayov expressed disappointment that Korea has not yet been a leading donor in Azerbaijan's demining efforts, despite its strong track record of supporting similar initiatives in other countries, such as Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia.

“Korea has not been very active in this area for us, although we believe that you have a very good record of assisting other countries who suffer. We hope that the Korean government can continue providing more robust support to us because it's about helping post-conflict peacebuilding efforts,” he said.

Regarding the type of support Azerbaijan is seeking, Amirbayov explained that financial support for capacity building and equipment is crucial.

“We have enough people who are mobilized, but what we lack is the human capacity of trained people. That is also something important, but also technologies in the demining area are developing so fast. Now we have special equipment like drones which can detect mines from a distance,” he said, highlighting the need for advanced technologies and training.

News.Az