Azerbaijan clears Armenia-laid mines on border with Iran

By Azernews

By Ayya Lmahamad

The State Border Service (SBS) engineering and fortification units have cleared mines and unexploded ordnance from 25 hectares of Azerbaijan's liberated lands on the border with Iran since early November.

Some 38 PMN-2 antipersonnel mines were found and neutralized in the said period. The installation of engineering fences was completed on a 1,230-m section along the state border. The continues on a 1,300-m section, the service reported on its website.

After ensuring the country’s territorial integrity the necessary border defence and security infrastructure is being created in the liberated lands. As part of these activities, the SBS’s engineering and fortification units search for mines and unexploded ordnance to ensure the safe movement of personnel and equipment.

Armenia deliberately and constantly planted mines on Azerbaijani territories, in violation of the 1949 Geneva Convention, thereby being a major threat to regional peace, security, and cooperation.

After liberating its lands from Armenia's occupation in a 44-day war with Armenia in 2020, Azerbaijan restored control over the 132-km section of the Azerbaijan-Iran border. The restoration of control over the state border created new opportunities and prospects for broader cooperation between the two countries.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a Russia-brokered peace agreement on November 10, 2020, to end 44 days of fighting and work toward a comprehensive resolution.