The landmine threat remains a serious challenge for Azerbaijan, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan and Head of the Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration Hikmet Hajiyev stated while speaking before diplomatic corps representatives at Karabakh University, Report informs.
"These [landmines] are a hidden danger buried underground in these territories. As you can see, this place has beautiful nature, but unfortunately, due to the landmine threat, we do not have access to a number of districts," he said, noting that during the occupation of Azerbaijani territories, more than 1.5 million mines were planted in these areas.
Hajiyev emphasized that approximately 12–13% of Azerbaijan's territory is contaminated with mines.
"Every year, significant financial resources are allocated [to demining], but this work requires great human courage. There is no other way - only specialists enter the territory and carry out demining operations step by step," he noted.
The presidential assistant recalled that since 2020, the number of those killed and injured as a result of mine explosions continues to grow:
"As of today, more than 400 Azerbaijani citizens have been killed or injured as a result of mine explosions."