Azerbaijan and Cambodia expand cooperation in mine action

A delegation led by the Chairman of the Board of the Mine Action Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan (ANAMA), Vugar Suleymanov, paid a visit to the Kingdom of Cambodia, ANAMA told Report.

During the visit, the ANAMA delegation held meetings with Prum Sophakmokol, Vice President of the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA), Ly Panharith, Secretary General of the CMAA, and Heng Ratana, Director General of the Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC).

The discussions focused on exchanging experiences in mine action, exploring future cooperation prospects, discussing methodologies applied in demining activities, and reviewing training opportunities.

Additionally, a meeting was held with Ke Sovann, Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, responsible for ASEAN and mine action. During the meeting, both sides exchanged information on the scale of the mine threat faced by Azerbaijan and Cambodia, which are among the most mine-contaminated countries, and discussed potential opportunities for future bilateral cooperation in this field.

The meetings were also attended by Shovgi Mehdizada, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Kingdom of Cambodia, residing in Hanoi.

As part of the visit, the ANAMA delegation visited the CMAC Training Center to get acquainted with the training opportunities, methodologies, and resources available, and to learn from Cambodia's experience in this area.

The delegation also traveled to Siem Reap Province, one of Cambodia's most mine-contaminated regions, to observe the demining operations conducted by CMAC, the manual demining, the use of mine detection dogs and rats, as well as the tools and equipment used.

Furthermore, during their visit to Siem Reap Province, the delegation visited the "Peace Museum," operated under CMAC. The museum exhibits mines and explosive remnants of war, showcasing the mine problem faced by Cambodia, along with various visual artifacts from the war period.

Exchanging experiences in mine action with Southeast Asia countries, which have faced the threat of mines and explosive remnants of war and have long-term experience in combating this threat, will positively contribute to the future activities of the agency.