Ukraine hopes for deepened cooperation with Azerbaijan in the demining process of its territory.
This was announced by the Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, Olena Kondratiuk, on her Facebook page. She noted that she held a meeting in Baku with the First Deputy Chairman of the Azerbaijan Mine Action Agency, Bahruz Mammadov, and his colleagues.
The lawmaker emphasized that demining the territories affected by the conflict is "a humanitarian challenge that unites Ukraine and Azerbaijan."
"It is our common problem, unfortunately leading to casualties and injuries among the populations of both countries," Kondratiuk said.
According to experts, due to the consequences of Russian aggression, Ukraine is currently the most heavily mined country in the world. Approximately 174,000 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory are considered dangerous, with 5.6 million hectares of land affected by mines.
Kondratiuk added that this is also a "serious problem" for Azerbaijan.
"From 2022 to 2024, 134,000 hectares of land have been demined, and more than 67,000 mines and explosive objects have been neutralized. This work intensified especially after the complete de-occupation of the Karabakh region," the lawmaker's publication stated.
She expressed gratitude to Azerbaijan "for significant and practical assistance to Ukraine, which we feel in the process of humanitarian demining."
"Azerbaijan conducts demining training, including involving women in this process. They have established their own production of modern demining machinery. Recently, one such machine for neutralizing anti-personnel mines was transferred to Ukraine by Azerbaijan. Currently, this equipment is operating in the Kharkiv region," the politician explained.
She also appealed to Baku to provide Ukraine with machinery for neutralizing anti-tank mines.
"We greatly count on the deepening of cooperation between the State Emergency Service of Ukraine and the Mine Action Agency of Azerbaijan. We hope for an expansion of the assistance provided by Azerbaijan for clearing Ukrainian land from deadly mines," Kondratiuk said.
