Mine Awareness Day in Azerbaijan, April 4th.

The Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA) and its partners is joining numerous other international organizations to mark the “Mine Awareness Day” fixed for every 4th of April. The ceremony will be held at the country’s capital city, Baku and selected regions of Azerbaijan where the ANAMA is continuing its activities with mine clearance.

It’s always been stated time and again of the negative effects mines is having to various community globally. Although compared to no distant years back, the campaign on mines was apparently in the low key but thanks to a new awareness created by the signing into effect on the outright ban on landmines during the Ottawa convention in 1997; now there is a compassionate approach in the directions of mines related complications. Recently, according to a report published by the UN Mine Action Service, the Acting Director John Flanagan stated that a lot of progress has been made towards eliminating landmines and explosive remnants of war but of course more contribution is still expected from the public and donor for sustainable successes. The mine awareness day was identified as a day to revitalize international support for mine action.

In the event to mark the mine awareness day, ANAMA and its partners lined up a series of activities that includes meeting of the Director of ANAMA Mr. Nazim Ismaylov with the US Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Anne Elizabeth Derse and with the national media in attendance; commissioning of new billboards and mine-warning signs in mine affected regions; press conferences conducted by ANAMA and UNDP in the various regional offices of ANAMA; and meeting with the mine victims.

During the meeting between Nazim Ismaylov and the US Ambassador to Azerbaijan A.E Derse, the ANAMA Director addressed on ANAMA activities thus far; he said presently, ANAMA is undergoing a long-term project on mine clearance of 7 currently occupied regions around Nagorno Karabakh. The action is been conducted by about 500 ANAMA de-mining specialists and specially trained dogs; special techniques and facilities are used in this activities. He also added that ANAMA with the cooperation of the Ministry of Education has formulated a system of teaching mine defense to pupils.

The Ambassador of the US in her address re-emphasized the US commitment towards Mine clearance in Azerbaijan and promised a continuous support to this action.
At the regional meetings, the partners of ANAMA within the various projects were involved. International Eurasia Press Fund (IEPF) as a partner with ANAMA was represented by its chairman, Mr. Umud Mirzoyev. IEPF has been partnering ANAMA in mine clearance in the Tertar region of Azerbaijan since 2004 and IEPF has been able to assist the mine victims in the regions of Tertar, Agstafa, and Fizuli to create an umbrella body of mine victims, Azerbaijan Mine Victims Association (AMVA).

One of the highpoint of the press conferences in the region of Agstafa was the presentation of certificates to 10 members of the AMVA who became certified instructors in the fields of Mine Risk Education, Legal matters, Business Management, and First Aid Assistance. These persons were among the initiating group in the projects establishing of the Azerbaijan Mine Victims Association in Tertar, Agstafa, and Fizuli and directing its activities. The recipients who themselves are mine victims were trained by the experts involved in the projects implementation.

AMVA was established by IEPF through a private Partnership initiative of the US Department Bureau on Political, Military Affairs office of Weapon Removal and Abatement (PM/WRA). Until the establishment of the AMVA, the mine victims depended largely on the kindness of relatives because they have not been aware on the right procedure to assist self but today the story is different because the mine victims through skills and knowledge acquired from the project activities are able to affect their fates positively.

The ANAMA through its spirited works and dedicated approach to mine clearance is accomplishing much in Azerbaijan. The ANAMA began its mine clearance in Azerbaijan in the year 1999 based on a joint program cooperation between the government and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). The main goal of the cooperation was to create a national mine action capacity capable of planning, coordinating and managing all mines and mines related devices in the liberated areas of the Azerbaijan territory and of course preparing for the yet to be liberated areas. From the time of its establishment up to date, the ANAMA has achieved great successes with its activities in Azerbaijan. These achievements have been made possible through the cooperation and commitments of various bodies and countries such as the UN, the United States of America, the Republic of Japan, etc and various other public donors.