President: ‘International experts estimate that Azerbaijan needs nearly 30 years and $25 billion to solve the issues related to demining’

International experts estimate that Azerbaijan needs nearly 30 years and $25 billion to solve the issues related to demining, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said at the 6th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Astana.

“Azerbaijan is one of the most mine-contaminated countries in the world. According to initial estimation, during the times of occupation, Armenia planted more than 1 million landmines. Two years after the 2nd Karabakh war, more than 250 Azerbaijani citizens were killed or civilians injured as a result of landmine explosions. International experts estimate that Azerbaijan needs nearly 30 years and $25 billion to solve the issues related to demining.

Now in parallel with mine clearance operations, Azerbaijan, with its own financial resources, undertakes large-scale reconstruction works in the liberated areas. We also began the return process of former internally displaced persons back to their native lands. The program called ‘Great Return’ has started,” Ilham Aliyev said.