Azerbaijan accuses Armenia of supplying mines to Karabakh through the Lachin corridor

Azerbaijan accuses Armenia of supplying mines

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry issued a statement calling on the world community to put pressure on Armenia to fulfill its international obligations. They claim that Armenia continues to lay a large number of mines on the territory of Azerbaijan. “The delivery of anti-personnel mines from Armenia to Azerbaijan after the end of the war once again demonstrates that the Armenians used the Lachin corridor for illegal military activities,” the document says.

Last weekend, a 26-year-old civilian was injured in a mine explosion in the Terter region of Azerbaijan. Both of his legs were amputated.

“The impunity of Yerevan opens the way to new crimes. Since the end of the second Karabakh war, 262 people have become victims of mine incidents,” the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said in a statement immediately after this incident.

On October 25, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry issued a new statement in which it called on the world community to put pressure on Armenia to fulfill its international obligations.

“In violation of the tripartite statement of November 10, 2020, Armenia continues illegal military activities on the territory of Azerbaijan,” the document says.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry states that Armenia “not only is not withdrawing its military forces from the territory of Azerbaijan, but also continues to install a large number of mines on its territory. This leads to an increase in the number of people being blown up by mines, and not only along the former line of contact.”

“In total, over the past 30 years the number of mine victims in Azerbaijan is 3,345 people, including 38 women and 357 children.

After November 10, 2020, 266 Azerbaijani citizens were blown up by mines, of whom 45 died, including three journalists.

Since August of this year, after the departure of the Armenian population from the Lachin region, more than 1,400 E-001M anti-personnel mine produced in Armenia in 2021 have been found there.

In addition, booby traps were set on the doorsteps of houses and courtyards in the villages of Zabukh and Sus,” the Foreign Ministry added.

According to the latest data of the Azerbaijani State Mine Action Agency (ANAMA), published on October 6, 2022, 54,841 hectares of area have been cleared of mines since November 20, 2020. 25,751 anti-personnel and 12,547 anti-tank mines found.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry in its statement indicates that “the delivery of anti-personnel mines from Armenia to Azerbaijan after the end of the war once again demonstrates that the Armenians used the Lachin corridor for illegal military activities. Although, according to the 6th point of the tripartite statement, the Lachin corridor should be used for the passage of citizens, vehicles and the transportation of civilian goods.”

Azerbaijani diplomats also claim that “the reason for the large-scale sabotage of the units of the Armenian Armed Forces on September 12-13 was attempts by Armenians to mine supply routes and areas between the positions of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces.”

“The reliability of minefield maps provided by Armenia is only 25%; 55% of the latest cases of mine explosions occurred in territories not indicated on these maps.

This once again indicates that Armenia purposefully continues to create military threats to Azerbaijan, which is a war crime and a serious violation of international humanitarian law,” the statement said.

Official Baku calls on the world community to put pressure on Armenia “in order to fulfill the conditions of the tripartite statement and obligations under international law, stop steps against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, withdraw all armed forces from the territory of Azerbaijan, stop mine activities on them, provide accurate mine maps.”

“These steps would be a contribution to ensuring peace and tranquility in the region,” the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said in its statement.

Azerbaijan accuses Armenia of supplying mines