Azerbaijan-Armenia: U.S. Pledges More Help As Landmine Casualties Increase

The toll of dead and injured from landmine casualties across the conflict-affected area is just one example of the way in which the Nagorno-Karabakh war has affected hundreds of ordinary people. Since the November 9, 2020 trilateral arrangement, more than 280 people have been killed or injured in landmine accidents in the region, according to the latest edition of "To Walk the Earth in Safety", the State Department’s annual report on U.S. work on landmine clearance and the destruction of conventional weapons.

Since November 2021, the U.S. has provided about $2.5 million for the areas that were affected by the 2020 intensive fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary State for Programs and Operations at the Political-Military Affairs Bureau Karen Chandler told TURAN's Washington correspondent on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters at the Washington Foreign Press Center on the release of the report, Chandler reminded that the U.S. Congress has provided an earmark in the FY22 appropriation for the Nagorno-Karabakh region, "and so we will be in the process of obligating that funding in the coming months," as she put it in response to TURAN's questions.

"Currently, the money is being notified to the Congress," she said, adding, "So we’ve provided $2.5 million already for the entire region to be equitably distributed by our implementing partners that are working there, and then in the coming months, we will have another $2 million that was part of the FY 2022 budget."

Recently the U.S. European Command completed a holistic requirements determination site survey of Azerbaijan's Mine Action Agency.

"Following this site survey, three additional projects were created including two train-the-trainer courses for physical security and stockpile management and explosive ordnance disposal Level 1-3. The third project will train and equip Azerbaijani demining personnel with Handheld Standoff Mine Detection System mine detection devices," according to the report.

The U.S. is the world’s largest – single largest financial contributor and supporter of conventional weapons destruction.

According to Bonnie Jenkins, Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, the U.S. has invested more than $4.6 billion in more than 120 countries and areas since 1993 to promote international peace and security by addressing humanitarian hazards from landmines and unexploded ordnances in post-conflict countries.

"We have also partnered with countries to secure or destroy excess or improperly secured munitions in order to reduce the possibility that non-state actors, such as criminals and terrorists, could acquire small arms, light weapons, and ammunition," she said.

Speaking about Putin's ongoing war in Ukraine, Jenkins said Kyiv estimates that 174,000 square kilometers of its territory may be contaminated. "This is more than twice the size of Austria or slightly larger than the state of Florida."

She went on to add: "This problem will, tragically, persist for a long time after Russia’s unspeakable brutality ends. But the international community’s attention to this issue and Ukraine’s prioritization of it means we’re on the right track. Our investment now will pay dividends long into the future and give the Ukrainian people another reason to hold onto hope."

Asked by TURAN whether the issue of accountability for Russian actions should be a part of discussion when addressing Ukraine's demining, chandler reminded that "people in the UN, et cetera, are looking at" that question.

"Certainly, the United States Government believes that Russia’s war has been incredibly brutal and uncalled for," she said.

She went on to conclude: "We call on Russia to remove itself from Ukraine because the atrocities that they’re committing are harming civilians and preventing peace in the region, and they are in a position to be able to stop this war at any time they want to."

Alex Raufoglu