“During the mine clearing operations in the liberated territories of Azerbaijan, 23,000 hectares of territory has been cleared of mines, more than 55,000 mines neutralized so far. Moreover, 10,000 anti-tank and 19,000 anti-personnel mines, as well as 26,000 unexploded ordnances (UXO) were found on this territories,” said Chairman of the Board of Azerbaijan’s Mine Action Agency Vugar Suleymanov at a conference on the theme "Humanitarian mine action and sustainable development goals (SDGs)" co-organized by the Agency and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Baku.

He noted that mines continue to pose a threat to the lives, security and development of civilians, adding that this is a global challenge that needs to be tackled at the global level. “This conference provides a good platform for cooperation, sharing and learning, bringing together 150 participants from 34 countries,” the Chairman said.