The coming year promises the beginning of the “big return” of Azerbaijanis in Karabakh. As Ilham Aliyev, President Ilham Aliyev, has repeatedly noted, the first representatives of former displaced persons will return to their native foci in Karabakh and East Zangezure. But is it all ready for the mass resettlement of hundreds of thousands of people?
The authorities want to return forced immigrants to their native land as quickly as possible, but for this it is necessary to create decent living conditions and the necessary infrastructure. But the biggest problem is mines. Armenia did not provide a full-fledged map of minefields. After the war, more than 200 of our military and civilians were injured on mines, dozens of dead. There are also victims of the Armenian side and among Russian peacekeepers. And demining is a long process and takes time, which is confirmed by the official data of the ANAMA demining agencies.
And the statistics are sad – to be able to clear about 14 thousand square meters of the territory, which can go to 13 years of hard work. The difficulty lies in the fact that Armenians mined not only the main economic objects – electrolyneys, water tanks, but even cemeteries. In the past year, more than 60 million dollars were allocated by the head of state for these purposes. Anama assist Turkish demining specialists who have put the special equipment. Last year, Russian specialists began demining in the Agdam district (Russian peacekeepers spend clearing territories and in the zone of their responsibility). In August, the Heritage Institute Marshall USA (Marshall Legacy Institute, MLI) conveyed Anama 10 specially trained dogs. Just until July 2023, the Institute plans to give 30 dogs-minidoers to Azerbaijan for free.