The UK allocated 500.000 pounds for mine clearance in Azerbaijan

Baku/02.09.21/Turan: The United Kingdom allocated 500.000 pounds to implement the UN Development Program after the war in Nagorno-Karabakh. According to Turan,this is stated in the press release of the British Embassy to Azerbaijan.

These funds are provided for mine clearing around the Nagorno-Karabakh region to ensure the safety of people. In particular, it is planned to implement measures for education and training of specialists of this profile.

The UK became the first state to announce post-conflict humanitarian support through donating 1 million pounds to the Red Cross to help the affected people.

Also, the UK is calling on other countries to support UN initiatives aimed at helping those who cannot return home due to the unexploded shells.

"Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding territories are one of the most mined territories and reports on those killed or seriously injured are often received from here.

The funds allocated by the UK will be used for training and technical assistance with an emphasis on the UN experience in conducting mine cleaning operations to thus lessen the danger to civilians in Armenia and Azerbaijan. However, much has still to be done. Therefore, we call on international partners to support collective efforts and ensure the safety of all people in the region," said Wendy Morton, state minister for the European neighborhood and the United States.

The funds will be used to provide technical, strategic and managerial support from the UN to local and national mine cleaning organizations of Azerbaijan.

The UK calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to sign the Ottawa Convention which bans the use of mines throughout the world, "the press release says.

It should be noted that according to various estimates, hundreds of thousands of mines and unexploded ordnance remain in the Karabakh region after the 2020 war. According to experts, it will take at least 10 years to clean them up.—06D-