Clearing "Jeyranchel" continues

Baku/26.09.17/Turan: On September 26 ANAMA held the presentation of the third stage of the Jeyranchel project, implemented within the NATO partnership with ANAMA. The presentation was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Abid Sharifov, NATO Special Representative for the South Caucasus and Central Asia James Apaturai, NATO/NSPA representatives, diplomats accredited in Azerbaijan, and other officials.

According to Gazanfar Ahmadov, the director of ANAMA, the territory of Jeyranchel (450 km north-west of Baku) along the Azerbaijani-Georgian border was used from 1955 to 1991 as a training ground for the exercises and tests of the Soviet Army. "Within the first stage within 28 months (April 2012 - July 2014) 19 square kilometers were cleared; 14654 unexploded ordnance and 173 anti-tank mines were made harmless.

The second stage started on July 8, 2014 and lasted for 24 months. Within the framework of the stage, 23,584,545 square kilometers were cleared from 1 553 unexploded ordnance. The third stage covered 22 square kilometers, started in January this year and will end in 2018.

NATO officially confirmed the clearance of 21.395.505 square kilometers in the framework of the Jeyranchel project. The Azerbaijani government financed 50% of the total cost of the project,"Ahmadov said.

Abid Sharifov noted that in the course of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, numerous unexploded ordnance remained in occupied territories, as well as territories liberated from the occupation and former ranges and bases of the Soviet army. Since 1991, to this day in Azerbaijan, from mines and the NBP died 532 people, more than 2,400 were injured.

Thirty people were killed and 93 were injured as a result of an explosion in the ammunition depot of the Soviet Army in Saloglu Akstafa region, which was the largest in the South Caucasus, the deputy prime minister said, noting that the said territory is the most dangerous place.

According to James Appathurai, the Jaranchel pact is a useful and effective investment from NATO. Acquired here, the experience is adopted and Georgia. Azerbaijan shares its experience with Afghanistan. This is a project that gives people security guarantees.

The US Ambassador to Azerbaijan Robert Sekuta noted that since the beginning of the Jeyranchel project, the US has been supporting it. America also supports the third phase of the project:

"We see the impact of the NBP on innocent people: the US government has invested $ 30 million in mine clearance of the territories of Azerbaijan, more than 40 square kilometers of the territory have been cleared along with donor countries," the ambassador said. -03C04-