The President addressed the participants of the IV International Conference on Mine Action

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev addressed the participants of the IV International Conference on Mine Action themed "Humanitarian Demining for Urban Recovery: Setting Best Practice Standards for Safe Settlements."

As reported by AZERTAC, the message states:

"Dear conference participants!

I welcome you on the occasion of the opening of the IV International Conference on Mine Action themed "Humanitarian Demining for Urban Recovery: Setting Best Practice Standards for Safe Settlements."

For several consecutive years, the international conferences on mine action held by Azerbaijan in close cooperation with the United Nations have served as an important platform for developing solutions in response to one of the most serious challenges of our time in the areas of humanitarian assistance, security, and development.

Unfortunately, mines and unexploded ordnance continue to threaten the lives and safety of people in many parts of the world. Even long after the end of conflicts, explosive devices continue to claim lives, injure civilians, damage infrastructure, and slow down reconstruction projects. In this regard, humanitarian demining is a prerequisite for ensuring the safety of settlements.

Along with the reconstruction of buildings, roads, and public infrastructure, urban recovery in post-conflict areas also requires the restoration of safety and trust. No city, no village, or settlement can be fully restored, no school or hospital can safely function, no family can return with dignity, and no economic activity can develop sustainably unless the land is cleared of mines and explosive remnants of war. Therefore, humanitarian demining lies at the very foundation of urban recovery and the creation of safe settlements.

Azerbaijan has faced this problem in its most acute form. As a result of nearly thirty years of Armenia's occupation of Azerbaijani territories, our country has become one of the most mine-contaminated countries in the world. According to preliminary estimates, more than 13 percent of Azerbaijan's territory is contaminated with mines and unexploded ordnance. The liberated territories of Karabakh and East Zangazur remain heavily contaminated, creating serious obstacles for reconstruction work, economic activity, safe movement, and the return of former internally displaced persons to their native lands.

Since the end of the Patriotic War in 2020, 437 Azerbaijani citizens have become victims of accidents involving mines and explosive devices, including civilians, military personnel, deminers, journalists, and persons involved in reconstruction work. As a result of these incidents, 73 people were killed and 364 were seriously injured. Overall, since the beginning of Armenia's aggression against Azerbaijan, more than 3,500 of our citizens have been affected by mines. Among them are children, women, and other civilians whose lives were tragically altered by this hidden threat.

The scale of this problem is exacerbated by the fact that most of the minefield maps provided by Armenia proved to be inaccurate and incomplete. Mines and booby traps were found not only at former military positions but also along roads, near residential areas, in cemeteries, on agricultural lands, in forests, on riverbanks, and in other locations associated with civilian life. Nevertheless, Azerbaijan remains firmly committed to overcoming these challenges and ensuring the safe, dignified, and sustainable return of its citizens to the lands of their ancestors.

Humanitarian demining is an integral and critical component of Azerbaijan's reconstruction and rehabilitation program in the liberated territories. The restoration of cities and villages, the reconstruction of infrastructure, the development of transport and energy networks, the revival of agriculture, and the creation of new settlements are carried out in close and clear coordination with mine action activities.

Large-scale demining operations are being conducted in the liberated territories. To date, more than 298,000 hectares of land have been demined, and 260,147 mines and unexploded ordnance have been detected and neutralized. Azerbaijan is implementing advanced technologies, innovative approaches, and modern management systems to enhance the speed, safety, and effectiveness of demining.

Demining work in Azerbaijan is directly linked to broader national priorities. It contributes to reconstruction, safe return, agricultural revival, infrastructure development, environmental protection, social reintegration, and economic recovery. It also contributes to the implementation of the "National Priorities for Socio-Economic Development: Azerbaijan 2030," in particular the priority of the "Great Return" to the liberated territories.

Within the framework of the "Great Return" program, work is underway to restore cities and villages destroyed during the occupation: modern infrastructure, roads, tunnels, airports, energy facilities, schools, hospitals, cultural monuments, and residential settlements are being rebuilt. The practical results of this policy are already visible. To date, approximately 40,000 former internally displaced persons have returned to their homes in the liberated territories. Overall, the number of people currently residing in Karabakh and East Zangazur has exceeded 90,000. Azerbaijan is developing and applying advanced models of post-conflict reconstruction, rehabilitation, and management that integrate mine action, urban planning, infrastructure development, environmental restoration, digital solutions, social services, public administration, and the return of former internally displaced persons into a single coordinated system. In a short period of time, territories that were devastated and depopulated during the occupation are being transformed into places where people can live, work, receive education, and realize their potential.

Despite the ongoing challenges, the results achieved to date demonstrate the effectiveness of Azerbaijan's comprehensive approach. We are ready to share this experience with countries and regions facing similar consequences of conflict, as we believe that the Azerbaijani model of demining, reconstruction, and return may be of practical interest to many partners around the world.

Azerbaijan has also put forward important initiatives to advance mine action at the international level. Issues of safety and sustainability of settlements, as well as demining, were at the center of global discussions during the 13th session of the World Urban Forum, successfully held in Azerbaijan, Baku.

Furthermore, our country has proclaimed humanitarian demining as the 18th National Sustainable Development Goal and continues to advocate for the recognition of this issue as a global priority.

The mine problem requires the strengthening of international solidarity. Azerbaijan bears the main