Landmine Free South Caucasus

On Thursday (3 September), in an important speech to the 4th International Mine Action Conference, organised in Baku by ANAMA and the United Nations, Ambassador Elchin Amirbayov, Representative of the President of Azerbaijan on special assignments, spoke about the importance of mine action in the wider context of peace, with particular reference to the South Caucasus. He said: "Azerbaijan and Armenia have a unique opportunity to turn a page. The political process has created the conditions for a different South Caucasus — one based on peace, connectivity, economic cooperation and good-neighbourly relations. But if we want peace to be sustainable, durable and irreversible, we must remove the remnants of war both from the ground and from existing political and legal framework. Because:  above all, peace needs the next generation to inherit a landscape without mines – both beneath the ground and in our discourse. So the idea is to turn mine action from a legacy of war into an instrument of peace. Jointly, we can accelerate this. And let us make sure that, when we speak about peace in the South Caucasus, we are not speaking only about the absence of war. Let us make peace something people can walk on, live on, build on — and pass on to their children". (click the image to read the speech in full)

The 4th International Mine Action Conference is taking place in Baku, Azerbaijan, on 2 - 3 September 2026. The event is hosted by ANAMA, the Azerbaijani Mine action agency and the United Nations. The conference, which attracts hundreds of particpants from all over the world, opened with a message from president Ilham Aliyev, delivered to the coonference by senior presidential administration official, Hikmet Hajiyev. The theme of the conference is HUMANITARIAN DEMINING FOR URBAN RECOVERY; SETTING STANDARDS OF EXCELLENCE FOR SAFE SETTLEMENTS. President Aliyev in his message said, "Unfortunately, mines and unexploded ordnance continue to threaten human life and security in many countries around the world. Long after conflicts have ended, explosive ordnance continues to cause loss of life, injury to civilians, damage to infrastructure and delay reconstruction projects. In this regard, humanitarian demining is an essential commitment to safe settlements. Urban reconstruction in post-conflict areas requires the restoration of buildings, roads and public infrastructure, as well as the establishment of security and confidence. No city, village or town can be fully rebuilt, no school or hospital can function safely, no family can return to their homes with dignity, and no economic activity can develop sustainably until the land is cleared of mines and explosive remnants of war. Humanitarian demining is therefore at the heart of urban reconstruction and the creation of safe settlements. (click image to read more).