Key developments since May 2004: Azerbaijan has expressed greater
support for the Mine Ban Treaty and eradicating antipersonnel mines. The Deputy
Foreign Minister indicated Azerbaijan will prepare a voluntary Article 7 report
and will vote in favor of the pro-ban UNGA resolution. In 2004, more than 2.4
square kilometers of mined areas and nearly 4.8 square kilometers of
UXO-contaminated land was cleared and area-reduced. Clearance capacity
increased in 2004. Funding decreased from 2003 to US$3.2 million in 2004,
including $255,000 from the government. Mine risk education focused on
strengthening community-based initiatives and integrating it into the school
curricula. The number of new mine/UXO casualties increased in 2004. A
countrywide survey identified 1,883 mine survivors.
Mine Ban Policy
The Republic of Azerbaijan has not acceded to the Mine Ban Treaty. Its
policy toward banning antipersonnel mines and joining the treaty has evolved in
the last year. While it still states that it cannot accede until the conflict
with Armenia has ended, Azerbaijan has shown greater signs of support and a
willingness to discuss issues.
In June 2005, Azerbaijan told Mine Ban Treaty States Parties that it
“has supported from the outset the idea of having a comprehensive
international legal document on prohibition of use, stockpiling, production and
transfer of antipersonnel mines.” It stated that Azerbaijan is already
fulfilling some of the provisions of the treaty, noting that Azerbaijan does not
produce or transfer antipersonnel mines and engages in mine clearance and mine
victim assistance activities. It further said that Azerbaijan is
“currently considering some other obligations under the Convention which
we could take without acceding...” and specifically mentioned the possible
provision of an Article 7 transparency report. It concluded that the Mine Ban
Treaty has become “a powerful advocacy tool for making [the] international
community aware of [the] mine problem and its consequences,” and has
“raised the commitment of all involved to resolve the problem or assist
others in its resolution.”[1 ]
Similar remarks were made at a mine action donors meeting in Baku on 7 April
2005 by Azerbaijan’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Araz Azimov, and
the Director of the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA), Nazim
Ismayilov. Deputy Minister Azimov said that while “Azerbaijan is forced
to use and store antipersonnel mines while we are at conflict with Armenia...
[we] believe the conflict will be solved soon and Azerbaijan will accede to the
treaty.”[2 ]The ANAMA Director
said, “The establishment of ANAMA is an important step of the government
of Azerbaijan towards the objectives of the Ottawa Convention. Azerbaijan
believes that the complete prohibition and destruction of antipersonnel mines is
the principal humanitarian goal.”[3 ]Azerbaijan officials have expressed support for a mine ban on other
occasions in 2004 and 2005.[4 ]
Azerbaijan did not participate in the First Review Conference held in
Nairobi in November-December 2004, but attended the June 2005 meetings of the
intersessional Standing Committees and made a statement on its national position
toward the treaty.[5 ]
Azerbaijan has been one of the small number of countries to abstain from
voting on every annual UN General Assembly resolution calling for
universalization of the Mine Ban Treaty since 1997, including UNGA Resolution
59/84 on 3 December 2004. However, in April and May 2005, the Deputy Foreign
Minister told the Azerbaijan Campaign to Ban Landmines (AzCBL) and the ICBL that
Azerbaijan will reconsider its position on this issue in 2005, will change its
vote, and will also provide an explanation of the
vote.[6 ]The ICBL undertook a special
advocacy and research mission to Azerbaijan in May 2005.
The Deputy Foreign Minister also told the AzCBL and ICBL delegation that
Azerbaijan was preparing a voluntary Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 transparency
report, as a sign of its commitment to eradicating antipersonnel
mines.[7 ]In June 2005,
Azerbaijan’s representative told States Parties, “Apart from known
limitations coming from national security concerns Azerbaijan is considering to
provide transparency reports under Article 7 of the Convention. All procedures
concerning preparation of this report are being implemented by ANAMA in
cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defence.
Should the conflict have settled and Azerbaijan signed the Treaty, the mechanism
is ready to coordinate this report and submit it to the UN
Secretary-General.”[8 ]
The Azerbaijan Campaign to Ban Landmines undertook a variety of activities
in 2004 and 2005 in support of the landmine ban. AzCBL organized several media
briefings and met with government officials, members of parliament,
international and local NGOs, and others, issued monthly bulletins, and
encouraged joint accession to the Mine Ban Treaty by Azerbaijan and Armenia as a
confidence-building measure.
Azerbaijan is not party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons or any of
its protocols. It attended as an observer the Sixth Annual Meeting of States
Party to Amended Protocol II in November 2004.
On 3 November 2004, Azerbaijan attended the inaugural meeting in New York of
the Forum of Mine-Affected Countries (FOMAC), a group of high-level
representatives from mine-affected countries. FOMAC was formed to
encourage cooperation between mine-affected
countries.[9]
Production, Transfer, Stockpiling and Use
Azerbaijan has stated on many occasions that it does not produce or
export antipersonnel mines.[10 ]In
June 2005, Azerbaijan said that it “is unilaterally committed to non
producing and non accumulating” antipersonnel
mines.[11 ]Landmine Monitor is not
aware of any specific legal measures Azerbaijan has taken to prohibit production
or trade in antipersonnel mines.
Azerbaijan’s landmine stockpile is a legacy of the Soviet era, but the
number and types of landmines held is not known. All sides used landmines
during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and sporadically after the signing of the
armistice in May 1994. There have been no confirmed instances of use of
antipersonnel mines since Landmine Monitor began reporting in 1999.
Landmine and ERW Problem
Azerbaijan’s landmine problem is largely a result of the conflict with
Armenia between 1988 and 1994, but abandoned Soviet-era munition dumps and
unexploded ordnance (UXO) also pose a significant threat. A Landmine Impact
Survey (LIS) by the Survey Action Center (SAC) and International Eurasia Press
Fund (IEPF) indicated that 18 of 65 districts in Azerbaijan were contaminated by
landmines and UXO. More than half of the affected communities were located in
Fizuli region in the west of Azerbaijan near Nagorno-Karabakh, and in the region
of Aghstafa in the northwest, where a Soviet army base was formerly located.
The survey did not cover areas under the control of Armenia, including
Nagorno-Karabakh, the Nakhchivan region or small areas denied access by the
military.[12]
ANAMA estimates that some 92 square kilometers of land in the areas under
Azeri control are suspected to be mined and another 44 square kilometers are
identified as UXO-contaminated. The extent of the mine and UXO problem in areas
occupied by Armenian forces (Jabrayil, Zangilan, Gubadly, Lachin, Kelbajar, and
parts of Fizuli and Aghdam districts) is not known, but is expected to be
severe.[13 ]
Mine Action Program
ANAMA, a civilian governmental agency, was established on 18 July 1998,
initially as the Azerbaijan National Agency for Demining. In 2004-2005, ANAMA
continued to serve as the national agency responsible for coordinating all
aspects of mine action within
Azerbaijan.[14 ]ANAMA reports
directly to the Deputy Prime Minister, who is also responsible for a joint
working group consisting of representatives from ministries, donors and
implementing agencies. The working group’s role is to review policy,
procedure and performance of the mine action program, and make recommendations
for improvement.[15]
An Azeri National Strategic Plan, adopted in October 2001, was revised on 24
November 2003 to cover the period 2004-2008, taking into account the results of
the LIS. Clearance priorities are set each year in ANAMA’s annual
workplan.[16 ]Priorities are set
according to the results of the LIS, completed in 2003, and a general survey
carried out by IEPF in
2000.[17 ]However, it is not clear
what criteria are used for determining priorities. The annual workplans
for 2004 and 2005 were based on the revised strategic
plan.[18 ]
It was reported that by 2007, ANAMA intends to clear all Azeri territory,
not occupied by Armenian forces, of mines and UXO. According to remarks
attributed to ANAMA’s Director: “Certainly for that purpose we need
to increase the number of deminers, MDDs [mine detection dogs] and mechanical
machines for demining operations. That’s why the plans of the agency
include the annual increase of demining machines and to bring it to 10
units.”[19 ]
ANAMA believes that to clear mines from the occupied territories after their
liberation will take several years. After liberation, ANAMA plans to create
about seven regional bases to which will be allocated teams of deminers, dogs
and machines. It is estimated that 700 deminers will be needed (currently there
are 180), 70 dogs (currently 22) and 70 machines (currently three, but 26 are
planned).[20]
In June 2004, additional mine clearance capacity (recruitment and training
of 12 deminers) was funded by the UK. Training of the new deminers was
supplemented by an additional basic demining course, funded directly by the
government.[21 ]In October, a new
technical survey team of five people was established and made operational. This
new team is administered by IEPF and currently deployed to Ter-Ter district.
This was made possible by Japanese funding provided to ANAMA on a bilateral
basis. ANAMA’s new 10-man emergency response team was established in June
2004, in order to respond to urgent requests for clearance in mine-affected
districts of Azerbaijan.
In 2004, the European Commission (EC), Italy and the UN Development
Programme (UNDP) funded the procurement of a mechanical demining flail
($328,000), a BOZENA-4 remotely controlled mini-flail
system.[22 ]ANAMA also sought to
buy a “more advanced model” that also destroys antivehicle mines,
and on 20 May 2005 the first new Slovakian BOZENA-5 medium flail demining
machine was delivered to Azerbaijan, funded by the EC and
UNDP.[23 ]In June 2005, the
Marshall Legacy Institute in the US donated six mine detection dogs to
ANAMA.[24 ]The value of the
donation is estimated at more than
$100,000.[25 ]
UNDP, having invested in the capacity-building of ANAMA since its creation,
has gradually reduced external technical support. In 2004, the only foreign
expert remaining in ANAMA was the chief technical advisor. Since January 2005,
ANAMA no longer receives technical assistance from UNDP, although it will
continue periodic assessment missions to monitor the quality of ANAMA’s
work.[26]
Efforts towards adoption of national mine action legislation did not
progress during this reporting period, although it has existed in draft form
since 2002.[27 ]Azerbaijan has had
national mine action standards in place since 2002, which are said to be
compliant with International Mine Action Standards (IMAS). ANAMA reports that,
“The organizations, equipment, training, drills and procedures and
operations have been designed to achieve maximum safety. A Quality Assurance
system is in place to maximize quality within the Azerbaijan Mine Action Program
and to cover project
components.”[28]All deminers
are insured in Azerbaijan. In case of death, the sum payable is
$24,000.[29 ]
The IMAS on mine risk education have not been translated or specifically
applied in Azerbaijan, although aspects were incorporated in teaching manuals
and textbooks for mine risk education in
schools.[30 ]National standards
have not yet been developed, although these are planned for 2005.
ANAMA is in charge of maintaining mine action information in the Information
Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA), which includes the LIS
results.[31 ]
ANAMA has working groups on mine victim assistance and mine risk education,
which are said to include representatives of ministries, national NGOs and
agencies such as UNICEF and the International Committee of the Red Cross
(ICRC).[32]Full meetings are
infrequent. The most recent mine risk education meeting took place in January
2004,[33]and a victim assistance
meeting was held on 19 April 2005.[34]ANAMA and UNDP jointly host annual meetings of the Mine Action Donor
Group. These events provide information to donors and other stakeholders on the
achievements of the year and present funding needs for the year
ahead.[35]
On 29 September 2004, the South-Eastern Europe Mine Action Coordination
Council (SEEMACC) met in Baku. Participants included 11 representatives from
SEEMACC member states, as well as diplomatic missions and organizations that
contribute to mine action in Azerbaijan, including Italy, United Kingdom, United
States, UNDP and UNICEF.[36 ]
Survey and Assessment
Technical surveying is ongoing in 2004 and 2005, in order to verify and
reduce suspected areas. From January 2004, there were two five-member technical
survey teams working under Relief Azerbaijan (Dayag), a local NGO. Survey teams
supported by mine detection dogs were deployed to Fizuli, Khanlar, Aghjabedi and
Ter-Ter districts, for area reduction and to define the size of minefields. In
October 2004, a further five-member technical survey team was fielded under
IEPF, funded directly by Japan, after training by
ANAMA.[37]
A Landmine Impact Survey of most of the areas under Azeri government control
was conducted in 2002-2003.[38 ]
Mine and ERW Clearance
In 2004, a total of 2,434,656 square meters of mined areas was demined,
including 775,072 square meters manually cleared, 936,056 square meters cleared
by mine detection dog operations, 291,167 square meters mechanically reduced,
and 432,361 square meters reduced by technical survey. In the process, 1,629
mines and UXO were found and destroyed. A further 4,789,993 square meters of
UXO-contaminated areas was cleared and
area-reduced.[39 ]
Comparison with 2003 is made uncertain by varying data reported for
clearance in 2003.[40 ]However,
ANAMA reported that technical survey was carried out on a substantially larger
area in 2004 than in 2003.[41]
As in previous years, clearance operations were carried out by two national
NGOs, Relief Azerbaijan and IEPF, contracted by ANAMA. Clearance operations
took place in Fizuli, Khanlar, Ter-Ter, Aghjabedi and Aghstafa
regions.[42 ]Operations were
suspended in November 2004 on territory close to Aghstafa region due to weather
conditions, and work had not restarted as of August
2005.[43 ]
Relief Azerbaijan (Dayag) has a 38-member demining team, supported by mine
detection dogs, operating mostly in Fizuli and Aghjabedi districts. Three
sections have been deployed to Giyamadinli village of Aghjabedi district since
July 2003. This district was included in the state priority list for
reconstruction and rehabilitation of areas affected by the war. Clearance of
the mined areas in Aghjabedi was requested by local authorities to free land for
agriculture. An area of 538,698 square meters was cleared in 2004, destroying
in the process a total of 45 mines and
UXO.[44]
International Eurasia Press Fund has operated a 38-member demining team
deployed to Gushgara village of Khanlar region since July 2002. IEPF’s
main task is to clear antipersonnel mines from a minefield around a former
Soviet military base, which ANAMA was instructed by the government to
clear.[45 ]In this location,
1,018,669 square meters has been cleared between July 2002 and November 2004,
destroying 207 mines and UXO.[46 ]
ANAMA’s new emergency response team was directed to ensure mine/UXO
safety of 97 houses in Yukhary Kurdmakhmudlu village, Fizuli district, thereby
enabling the Norwegian Refugee Council to undertake reconstruction and
rehabilitation for internally displaced persons. All 97 houses in an area of
376,022 square meters were cleared, with 25 mines and UXO destroyed, by the end
of 2004.[47 ]
Also in 2004, ANAMA’s 15-member UXO clearance team operated in Fizuli
and Aghstafa regions. The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Company requested the government
to ensure safe construction and operation of the oil pipeline running through
this region, an area of dense UXO concentration. ANAMA conducted clearance
operations in several areas along the pipeline; 121 different types of ordnance
up to three meters below the surface were found and destroyed. Almost 4.8
square kilometers of UXO-contaminated land was cleared and 1,400 UXO destroyed
during 2004.[48]
A mechanical demining team, technically supported by a RONCO mechanical
demining technical advisor, operated in mined areas around Horadiz settlement,
Fizuli district; 291,167 square meters were reduced by the end of
2004.[49 ]
From January to June 2005, deminers manually cleared 2,149,711 square
meters, mine detection dog operations cleared 878,140 square meters, and
mechanical demining reduced 360,897 square meters of suspected area; six
antipersonnel mines, 18 antivehicle mines and 113 UXO were
destroyed.[50 ]
After mine clearance operations, about 10 percent of the territory is
sampled for quality control by ANAMA personnel. If no explosive ordnance is
found to a depth of 20 centimeters, the entire area is considered cleared.
ANAMA uses dog teams both to find mines and to quality assure the cleared
land.[51 ]
Mine Risk Education
Organizations involved in mine risk education (MRE) include ANAMA,
Azerbaijan Red Crescent
Society,[52 ]UNICEF, IEPF and Relief
Azerbaijan.
ANAMA’s strategic focus for MRE during 2004 was on strengthening
community-based initiatives, and also on integrating MRE effectively into
schools. Training in community-based initiatives took place in August 2004 for
volunteers from targeted frontline districts. These sought to establish
community-based MRE committees in villages, with the heads of district civil
defense teams as community coordinators. A group of 20 representatives from the
seven frontline districts of Gazakh, Aghstafa, Tovuz, Gedebey, Dashkesen,
Khanlar and Goranboy, with staff from IEPF and Relief Azerbaijan, participated
in four days of training. Other districts will receive training when funding is
available.[53 ]
Members of the community-based MRE committees include community leaders,
heads of municipalities, teachers, doctors, youth group members and religious
personnel. The committees are tasked with determining at-risk groups in their
localities, and providing MRE with the aim of reducing mine and UXO casualties.
In 2004, the committees provided training to over 27,000 people, including
farmers, pastoralists and children.[54 ]Materials developed, tested and distributed to the community committees
during 2004 included 6,000 posters, 1,500 exercise books, 2,000 pens and 2,500
stickers. The ANAMA MRE team, in coordination with the community committees,
put up 82 billboards and 15 road signs in 54 mine- and UXO-contaminated
villages.[55 ]
During 2004, 66 MRE committees were established in Ter-Ter (23), Aghdam (19)
and Khanlar (24) districts.[56 ]An
estimated 250 committees will be required to cover all mine-affected villages.
These have been prioritized on the basis of LIS data and ongoing casualty
information.[57]
On 11 May 2004 a memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of
Education, UNICEF and ANAMA was signed, aimed at integrating MRE into the school
curriculum in affected areas.[58 ]Schools near contaminated areas were identified based on LIS data. The
initial target of 7,500 schoolchildren was increased to 15,000 to include
children in the fourth and sixth
grades.[59 ]A total of 600 teachers
from 303 schools in 13 frontline districts were selected and trained. Supported
by district education departments, 30 two-day training sessions were conducted
by ANAMA and UNICEF trainers. Topics included details of different types of
mines and UXO, safe behavior, possible dangerous places, official and unofficial
mine warning signs, with material for teaching MRE including plays, dramas and
interactive discussion topics. MRE in schools commenced in January; for 2005,
there are plans to increase the number of schools to 1,000. A total of 15,000
children’s MRE textbooks and 700 teachers’ manuals were produced and
distributed to 13 education departments. Each school was also supplied with
four different posters.[60 ]
In December 2004, an ANAMA MRE specialist and staff from the Teachers’
Institute conducted a three-day training for 15 “master trainers” at
the ANAMA Regional Training Center in Khanlar
district.[61 ]These trainers will
be responsible for continuing to train and refresh teachers in MRE education
messages and techniques. In July and August 2004, the ANAMA MRE team conducted
six training sessions for the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline staff and other
employees in Tovuz and Yevlakh camps. MRE sessions for the employees of the UN
and international aid agencies in Azerbaijan were also
undertaken.[62 ]
In 2004, ICRC opened discussions with the Azerbaijan Red Crescent Society
regarding a safe play area project for children to be implemented in
2005.[63 ]Fifteen safe-play areas
will be constructed in eight mine-affected regions. The project is funded by
the Norwegian Red Cross and aims to provide areas for children to play in
without being exposed to danger from mines and
UXO.[64]
Funding and Assistance
ANAMA reported that in 2004 mine action funding for Azerbaijan totaled
approximately $3.5 million, including $255,000 from the government and $180,000
from UNDP. Other donations reported by ANAMA were: EC ($1,350,000); Italy
($150,000); UK ($150,000); UNICEF ($70,000); US ($1,275,461). In addition,
Japan provided $81,697 for mine clearance in
Ter-Ter.[65 ]This represents a
decrease from $5.5 million funding reported by ANAMA for
2003.[66]
From donor reports, Landmine Monitor estimates that Azerbaijan received
international donations totaling $3,213,666 for mine action in 2004. This is a
decrease from 2003, with estimated donations of $5.6 million. Donors in 2004
included:
International Trust Fund: $21,878 for a survey of mine
survivors;[67 ]
Italy: €150,000 ($186,570) through UNDP for
demining;[68 ]
Japan: ¥9,000,000 ($83,218) to UNMAS for mine
clearance;[69]
US: $2,772,000, consisting of $2,468,000 from the State Department and
$304,000 from the Department of
Defense.[71]
The EC did not report funding for Azerbaijan; however, the UNDP Azerbaijan
website reports that a mechanical demining machine funded by the EC, Italy and
UNDP, which was acquired in 2004, cost over €300,000 ($373,140) including
training.[72]
By April, mine action funding for 2005 had totaled over $3.5
million.[73 ]The Director of ANAMA
reported that the government finances only 10 percent of its general
budget.[74 ]In 2006, the US plans
to provide a further $3.6
million.[75]However, ANAMA indicated that the US Department of State has warned that
if the occupied lands are not liberated, its financial support will end in
2008.[76]
ANAMA reports that 25 square kilometers of a former Soviet ammunition
storage facility near the village of Saloglu in the Aghstafa region are
contaminated by 613 different types of ammunition and explosive
ordnance.[77 ]Azerbaijan and NATO
have developed a project to clear parts of the former storage facility and
signed an agreement on 14 February 2005. Turkey is the lead nation and the NATO
Maintenance and Supply Agency (NAMSA) will provide project management and
technical assistance. ANAMA EOD/deminers will do the clearance. The total cost
for the 18-month project is €1.6 million ($2 million) to clear 5.7 square
kilometers of highly contaminated area. To date, Turkey has contributed
€170,000 ($211,000) and Azerbaijan committed €142,392
($177,000).[78]
Landmine Casualties
In 2004, 32 new mine/UXO casualties from 17 incidents were recorded by
ANAMA, including 13 people (three children) killed and 19 injured; all were
male, and 15 were military personnel. Antipersonnel mines caused seven
incidents, seven were caused by antivehicle mines and three were caused by
UXO.[79 ]This represents an
increase from the 28 new mine/UXO casualties (14 killed and 14 injured) recorded
by ANAMA in 2003.[80 ]
The AzCBL reports 43 new mine/UXO casualties in 2004, including 15 people
killed and 28 injured; at least 22 were military personnel and three were
children. Casualties were reported in the regions of Absheron, Aghdam,
Aghjabedi, Aghstafa, Fizuli, Goranboy, Gazakh, Ter-Ter and Nakhchivan Autonomy
Republic.[81 ]
According to the Committee of Soldiers’ Families, there were 19
landmine casualties among members of Azerbaijan’s Armed Forces from 1
January 2004 to 1 April
2005.[82 ]
Casualties continue to be reported in 2005. ANAMA reported that
landmines/UXO killed one person and injured 21 others to 1 July
2005.[83 ]Casualties include an
incident on 14 May, in which an F1 hand grenade exploded in a classroom in a
school in Ganja city, killing one student and injuring 12
others.[84 ]
The AzCBL recorded 23 new mine/UXO casualties to 1 July 2005, including four
people killed (one woman and two children) and 19 injured; at least 20 were
civilians.[85 ]
ANAMA reported that no deminers were killed or injured during
2004.[86 ]
The total number of landmine casualties in Azerbaijan remains unclear.
ANAMA has recorded more than 1,310 mine/UXO casualties, including 341 killed and
969 injured.[87 ]However, ANAMA
reportedly estimates that there have been 3,000 mine/UXO casualties in
Azerbaijan in 11 war-affected districts; about 1,300 people were
killed.[88 ]The 2004 ANAMA
Countrywide Mine/UXO Victim Needs Assessment Survey identified 1,883 mine
survivors.[89 ]
There are also mine survivors in Azerbaijan from the war between the former
USSR and Afghanistan, although the total number is not known.
Survivor Assistance
Medical and surgical facilities in Azerbaijan are believed to be adequate to
treat mine casualties, with experienced physicians and ambulance services
available. All medical and rehabilitation expenses for mine survivors and other
persons with disabilities are covered by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry
of Labor and Social Protection
(MOLASP).[90 ]In 2004, ICRC
facilitated a planning seminar with MOLASP and other actors engaged in physical
rehabilitation to develop a long-term strategy for the decentralization of
rehabilitation services, and to establish a framework for future
cooperation.[91]
ANAMA coordinates survivor assistance activities through its working group
which includes representatives of relevant government ministries and
organizations operating in Azerbaijan. The aim is to develop a long-term mine
victim assistance program. ANAMA has a specialist to coordinate activities.
The last meeting was held in April
2005.[92]
The government-run Baku Ahmedy Prosthetic and Orthopedic Rehabilitation
Center in Baku provides physical rehabilitation, prostheses, orthoses and other
assistive devices, free of charge. In 2004, the center produced 1,659
prostheses; 287 amputees attended the center for the first time, including 18
landmine survivors.[93 ]
ICRC supports two government-run orthopedic centers in Nakhchivan and Ganja
with technical advice and training for technicians. The Nakhchivan center
reportedly lacks trained staff. In 2004, the centers provided rehabilitation
services for more than 1,000 people, and produced 129 prostheses (two for mine
survivors) and 915 orthoses (one for a mine
survivor).[94 ]
The MOLASP-supported Rehabilitation Center of Invalids of the Republic in
Baku provides medical and physical rehabilitation, diagnostics and psychosocial
support. In 2004, about 42 of the 626 people referred to the center were mine
survivors.[95 ]In 2004, the
government opened a rehabilitation center in Sumgayit, and will open another
center in Sheki city in 2005.[96 ]
From July to September 2005, UNICEF supported two summer camps for about 120
child mine survivors and children from mine-survivor families in
Azerbaijan.[97]
On 1 June 2004, ANAMA in collaboration with the IEPF started a four-month
countrywide needs assessment survey on mine survivors, with EC funding, to
determine priorities for future mine survivor assistance projects. The survey
covered 57 districts and seven cities. The survey questionnaire included
questions from the IMSMA casualty report form, together with comprehensive
questions on the needs of survivors in relation to medical and psychosocial
care, physical and vocational rehabilitation, economic assistance and advocacy,
as well as to education, training and sports. The survey collected detailed
information on the needs of 1,883 mine survivors; 373 were civilians at the time
of the incident. Of the total number of survivors, 1,397 (74 percent) are now
unemployed; the majority of respondents (84 percent) are in need of money for
medical treatment; 78 percent expressed an interest in a loan scheme to start
their own business; 55 percent were interested in participating in survivor
support groups. Other needs identified include: 33 percent of amputees are in
need of prosthetic assistance; 129 survivors need wheelchairs; 48 percent of
survivors expressed a need for psychological support; 53 percent of survivors
want to undertake vocational training courses in computers, foreign languages,
accountancy or other university degrees, to enhance their future employment
opportunities.[98]
In April 2004, AzCBL completed a similar 13-month study in eight districts
to identify the needs of mine survivors. The project was funded by a grant from
the International Trust Fund for Demining and Mine Victims Assistance through
Standing Tall Australia.[99 ]
In 2004, the Azerbaijan Landmine Victims
Association (ALVA) was established to provide ongoing social support to landmine
survivors. Future programs are dependent on donor
funding.[100]
On 27 April 2005, the head of the ICRC office met with the Minister of Labor
and Social Protection to discuss the possibility of disabled Chechen refugees
receiving free rehabilitation assistance in
Azerbaijan.[101 ]Following an
official letter from ICRC to MOLASP in May 2005, it was agreed that Chechen mine
survivors would receive free assistance in rehabilitation centers in Azerbaijan.
During May, eight people from the Salam Chechen Invalids’ Organization
underwent medical examinations at Baku Prosthetic and Orthopedic Rehabilitation
Center.[102]
One mine survivor from Azerbaijan participated in the Raising the Voices
training in Geneva in February 2004, and attended the First Review Conference in
Nairobi in November-December 2004; he is now head of ALVA with support from
AzCBL.
Disability Policy and Practice
The 1997 Law on Prevention of Disability, Rehabilitation and Social
Protection of Persons with Disability protects the rights of all persons with
disabilities in Azerbaijan, including mine
survivors.[103 ]The Ministry of
Health and the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare are responsible for issues
relating to persons with disabilities.
Following the cancellation of many benefits in January 2002, the living
conditions of persons with disabilities have reportedly deteriorated. As a
consequence of the lack of support, in the past two years, at least 25 people
disabled by the war have died and several have committed
suicide.[104]
[1 ]“Azerbaijan and Ottawa
Process,” statement delivered by Shirin Rzayeva, Public Relations Officer,
ANAMA, Standing Committee on General Status and Operation of the Convention,
Geneva, 13 June 2005.
[2 ]Speech by Araz Azimov, Deputy
Minister of Foreign Affairs, at ANAMA Donors Briefing, Baku, 7 April 2005.
[3 ]Speech by Nazim Ismayilov,
Director, ANAMA, at ANAMA Donors Briefing, Baku, 7 April 2005.
[4 ]For example: Sabuhi Abbasov,
“144 countries have joined the Mine Ban Treaty,” Yeni
Azerbaijan, 21 May 2005; interview with Nazim Ismayilov, Director, ANAMA,
Zerkalo (newspaper, in Russian), 15 May 2005; Vusala Rafigkizi,
“Mines are cleaned,” Sherq (newspaper), 8 April 2005; L.
Nuri, “Victims of exploded missiles and mines,” Echo
(newspaper, in Russian), 8 April 2005; BBC Radio (Azeri language), 17
November 2004.
[5 ]Previously, Azerbaijan
participated in Meetings of States Parties in 2000 and 2002, and in
intersessional meetings in May 2002 and February 2004.
[6 ]AzCBL interview with Araz
Azimov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Baku, 7 April 2005. The commitment
to vote in favor of the resolution in 2005 was reiterated at a meeting between
Deputy Minister Azimov and an ICBL delegation in Baku on 20 May 2005.
[7 ]Meeting with Araz Azimov,
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Baku, 20 May 2005. Five other states not
party to the Mine Ban Treaty have submitted voluntary Article 7 reports.
[8 ]“Azerbaijan and Ottawa
Process,” statement delivered by Shirin Rzayeva, Public Relations Officer,
ANAMA, Standing Committee on General Status and Operation of the Convention,
Geneva, 13 June 2005.
[9]United Nations,
“Countries stand united in the battle against landmines,” 4 November
2004, www.un.int/Angola/press_release_landmines.
[10 ]A recent example was a
speech given by Araz Azimov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, ANAMA Donors
Briefing, Baku, 7 April 2005.
[11 ]“Azerbaijan and Ottawa
Process,” statement delivered by Shirin Rzayeva, Public Relations Officer,
ANAMA, Standing Committee on General Status and Operation of the Convention,
Geneva, 13 June 2005.
[12]“Landmine Impact
Survey: Republic of Azerbaijan,” SAC, Washington DC, December 2003, p. 6;
see Landmine Monitor Report 2004, p. 925.
[13 ]ANAMA Briefing for Donors,
Baku, 7 April 2005; ANAMA, “Mine/UXO Contamination and Areas of Clearance
Operation,” Baku, 2005.
[14 ]Interview with Nazim
Ismayilov, ANAMA, Baku, 4 April 2005.
[15]UN, “Azerbaijan
Country Profile,” www.mineaction.org, accessed 28 August
2005.
[16 ]Interview with Aziz Aliyev,
Manager, Information Department, ANAMA, Baku, 14 April 2005.
[17 ]Interview with Nazim
Ismayilov, Director, ANAMA, Baku, 20 June 2005.
[18 ]Interview with Aziz Aliyev,
ANAMA, Baku, 14 April 2005; ANAMA, “Mine/UXO Contamination and Areas of
Clearance Operation,” Baku, 2005, p. 4.
[19 ]J. Ibrahimova, “The
demining process continues,” Zerkalo, 15 December 2004.
[20]L. Nuri, “ANAMA plans
clearance of occupied territories from mines,” Echo, 6 May 2005.
[21 ]J. Ibrahimova, “In a
couple of days a mechanical demining vehicle will arrive in Azerbaijan,”
Zerkalo, 10 July 2004; ANAMA, “Mine/UXO Contamination and Areas of
Clearance Operation,” Baku, 2005, p. 4.
[22 ]Interview with Nazim
Ismayilov, ANAMA, Azerbaijan (newspaper), 28 November 2004.
[23 ]Interview with Nazim
Ismayilov, ANAMA, Nedelya (Russian-language newspaper), 6 August 2004; J.
Ibrahimova, “In a couple of days mechanical demining car will arrive to
Azerbaijan,” Zerkalo, 10 July 2004; email from Press Services of
ANAMA to AzCBL, No. 44, 6 June 2005.
[24 ]M. Mamedov, “State
Department is ready to increase financial assistance, directed on demining of
Azerbaijan territories,” Zerkalo, 17 June 2005.
[25 ]“Yankee gifted us the
dogs,” Realniy Azerbaijan (Russian-language newspaper), 17 June
2005.
[26]Email from Nazim Iamayilov,
ANAMA, 30 August 2005.
[27 ]Geneva International Centre
for Humanitarian Demining, “A Study of National Mine Action
Legislation,” Geneva, 2004, www.gichd.ch.
[28]ANAMA, “Mine/UXO
Contamination and Areas of Clearance Operation,” Baku, 2005, p. 9.
[29 ]Interview with Nazim
Ismayilov, ANAMA, Baku, 20 June 2005.
[30 ]ANAMA website,
www.anama.baku.az, accessed 18 July 2005.
[31 ]Telephone interview with
Aziz Aliyev, ANAMA, 12 January 2004.
[32]Interview with Nazim
Ismayilov, ANAMA, Baku, 20 June 2005.
[33]Interview with Musa Jalalov,
MRE Team Leader, ANAMA, Baku, 28 July 2005.
[34]ANAMA press release,
“Mine Victim Assistance: Moving from the New Position,” 4 May 2005,
www.anama.baku.az.
[35]Interview with Nazim
Ismayilov, ANAMA, Baku, 4 April 2005.
[36 ]E. Guoliyev, “To
prevent the impact of landmines,” Echo, 30 September 2004;
“An international event on the danger of mines was held,” Yeni
Azerbaijan (newspaper), 1 October 2004; J. Ibrahimova, “Azerbaijan as
a regional center on fighting the mine danger,” Zerkalo, 1 October
2004.
[37]ANAMA, “Mine/UXO
Contamination and Areas of Clearance Operation,” Baku, 2005, p. 37.
[38 ]See Landmine Monitor
Report 2004, p. 925.
[39 ]ANAMA, “Mine/UXO
Contamination and Areas of Clearance Operation,” Baku, 2005, p. 4; email
from Press Services of ANAMA to AzCBL, No. 36, 7 January 2005.
[40 ]See Landmine Monitor
Report 2004, p. 927.
[41]ANAMA, “Mine/UXO
Contamination and Areas of Clearance Operation,” Baku, 2005, p. 4.
[42 ]Telephone interview with
Emil Hasanov, Operations Department Manager, ANAMA, 29 August 2005.
[43 ]ANS TV, 11 November
2004; interview with Emil Hasanov, ANAMA, Baku, 12 April 2005.
[44]ANAMA, “Mine/UXO
Contamination and Areas of Clearance Operation,” Baku, 2005, p. 10.
[45 ]ANAMA, “Mine/UXO
Contamination and Areas of Clearance Operation,” Baku, 2005, p. 10.
[46 ]Interview with Umud
Mirzoyev, Chairman, IEPF, Baku, 19 April 2005.
[47 ]Interview with Emil Hasanov,
ANAMA, Baku, 12 April 2005; ANAMA, “Mine/UXO Contamination and Areas of
Clearance Operation,” Baku, 2005.
[48]Telephone interview with
Emil Hasanov, ANAMA, 13 April 2005.
[49 ]ANAMA, “Mine/UXO
Contamination and Areas of Clearance Operation,” Baku, 2005.
[50 ]Email from Press Services of
ANAMA to AzCBL, No. 47, 5 July 2005; telephone interview with Shirin Rzayeva,
Press Secretary, ANAMA, 6 July 2005.
[51 ]ANAMA, “Mine/UXO
Contamination and Areas of Clearance Operation,” Baku, 2005, p. 14;
telephone interview with Emil Hasanov, ANAMA, 23 July 2005.
[52 ]ICRC Special Report,
“Mine Action 2004,” Geneva, June 2005, p. 31.
[53 ]Interview with Musa Jalalov,
MRE Team Leader, ANAMA, Baku, 28 June 2005.
[54 ]Interview with Musa Jalalov,
ANAMA, Baku, 28 June 2005.
[55 ]Email from Musa Jalalov,
ANAMA, to AzCBL 14 April 2005.
[56 ]ANAMA website, www.anama.baku.az, accessed 18 July
2005.
[57]Interview with Musa Jalalov,
ANAMA, Baku, 28 June 2005.
[58 ]L. Nuri, “ANAMA does
not reflect the financial support to Nagorny Karabakh in its reports,”
Zerkalo 12 May 2004; “The project referring to the mine security
will be implemented on the front line districts,” 525-ci gazet, 12
May 2004.
[59 ]Interview with Musa Jalalov,
ANAMA, Baku, 28 June 2005.
[60 ]Statement of Nazim
Ismayilov, ANAMA, at the MVA Working Group meeting of ANAMA, 19 April 2005;
Olaylar Information Agency, 12 April 2005.
[61 ]Interview with Musa Jalalov,
ANAMA, Baku, 15 April 2005
[62 ]Emails from ANAMA to AzCBL,
7 September 2004 and 7 January 2005.
[63 ]ICRC Special Report,
“Mine Action 2004,” Geneva, June 2005, pp. 31-32.
[64]Email from ICRC, Geneva, 21
September 2005.
[65 ]ANAMA Briefing for Donors, 7
April 2005; ANAMA, Mine/UXO Contamination and Areas of Clearance Operation,
Baku, 2005; J. Ibrahimova, Ter-Ter in the anticipation of demining,
Zerkalo, 3 September 2004.
[66]See Landmine Monitor
Report 2004, p. 926.
[67 ]Email from Iztok Hocevar,
Head of International Relations Department, International Trust Fund for
Demining and Mine Victims Assistance (ITF), 22 July 2005; ITF, “Annual
Report 2004,” p. 57.
[68 ]Emails from Manfred Capozza,
Humanitarian Demining Advisor, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Italy, June-July
2005; UNDP, “Funding Update by Donors,” www.undp.org/bcpr/mineaction/files/financing_mine_action,
accessed 22 August 2005. Average exchange rate for 2004: €1 = $1.2438,
used throughout this report. US Federal Reserve, “List of Exchange Rates
(Annual),” 3 January 2005.
[69]Email from Kitagawa Yasu,
JCBL, 10 August 2005, based on Japanese language information sent to JCBL by
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 11 May 2005. Average exchange rate for 2004:
¥108.15= $1. US Federal Reserve, “List of Exchange Rates
(Annual),” 3 January 2005.
[70]UNDP, “Funding Update
by Donors,” www.undp.org/bcpr/mineaction/files/financing_mine_action,
accessed 22 August 2005. UK did not report directly to Landmine Monitor mine
action funding for Azerbaijan in 2004.
[71]USG Historical Chart
including FY2004. Email from Angela L. Jeffries, Financial Management
Specialist, US Department of State, Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, 20
July 2005.
[72]“The Government of
Azerbaijan, UNDP, EC and Italy support use of technology from Slovakia to
increase mine clearance productivity,” Horadiz, 4 August, 2004.
This item is not included in the Landmine Monitor estimate of total funding.
[73 ]ANAMA Briefing for Donors, 7
April 2005; interview with Aziz Aliyev, ANAMA, 14 April 2005
[74 ]Interview with Nazim
Ismayilov, ANAMA, Azerbaijan (newspaper), 28 November 2004.
[75]Speech of Deborah Netland,
US Department of State, during press conference held at ANAMA, 16 June 2005;
“State Department is ready to increase financial assistance, directed on
demining of Azerbaijan territories,” Zerkalo, 17 June 2005.
[76]Interview with Nazim
Ismayilov, ANAMA, Baku, 20 July 2005.
[77 ]While ANAMA refers to the
problem in Saloglu as UXO, it is a large abandoned Soviet ammunition storage
facility, most of it in the open air, which has experienced several explosions
and ejections of ordnance over the past decade. The local population freely
enters the facility to collect scrap. A total of 87 people have been injured
and 28 killed in this area since 1991, the most recent being in May 2003.
Ordnance from Saloglu has traveled as far as Baku; in June 2003, two men were
injured in a scrap yard in Baku cutting open an artillery projectile.
[78]ANAMA, “UXO Problem in
Agstafa Region, Short Photo information,” (undated), provided to Landmine
Monitor in May 2005. Landmine Monitor also conducted a field visit to Saloglu
in May 2005.
[79 ]ANAMA, “Azerbaijan
Mine Action Programme,” documentation provided during interview with Aziz
Aliyev, Manager, Information Department, and Rauf Mamedov, Mine Victim
Assistance Specialist, ANAMA, Baku, 29 April 2005.
[80 ]For more information, see
Landmine Monitor Report 2004, pp. 928-929.
[81 ]J. Bayramova, “Last
year 43 persons became mine victims,” Zerkalo, 7 January 2005.
[82 ]Interview with Rosa Aligizi,
Chairwoman, Committee of Soldiers’ Families, Baku, 21 April 2005.
[83 ]ANAMA, “Monthly Report
for June 2005”; email to AzCBL from ANAMA Press Services No. 47, 5 July
2005.
[84 ]“The Prosecutor Office
of the Republic has disseminated information regarding the explosion, which took
place in Secondary School # 36 of Ganja,” 525-ci gazet, 17 May
2005; Ekspress, 17 May 2005.
[85 ]“23 people were
exploded on a mine,” Information Agency Olaylar, 2 July 2005;
Yasaman, “23 people became mine victims,” Uc noqta
(newspaper), 2 July 2005; R. Suleymanov, “During 6 months period 23
people suffered from mines,” 525-ci gazet, 2 July 2005.
[86 ]Interview with Nazim
Ismayilov, Director, ANAMA, Baku, 19 April 2005.
[87 ]ANAMA, “Azerbaijan
Mine Action Programme,” documentation provided during interview with Aziz
Aliyev and Rauf Mamedov, ANAMA, Baku, 29 April 2005.
[88 ]Interview with Nazim
Ismayilov, ANAMA, Baku, 28 November 2004; for more information, see Landmine
Monitor Report 2004, p. 929.
[89 ]ANAMA, “Azerbaijan
Mine Victim Needs Assessment Survey Report,” 6 May 2005, p. 1,
www.anama.baku.az/pictures/mva/mva_report-ec-2004.pdf.
[90 ]See Landmine Monitor
Report 2004, p. 930.
[91]ICRC Physical Rehabilitation
Program, “Annual Report 2004,” Geneva, July 2005, p. 34.
[92]“Mine Victim
Assistance: Moving from the New Position,” ANAMA press release, 4 May
2005; see also Landmine Monitor Report 2004, p. 931.
[93 ]Interview with Ilgar K.
Abdullayev, Director, Baku Prosthetic and Orthopedic Rehabilitation Center,
Baku, 20 April 2005.
[94 ]ICRC Physical Rehabilitation
Program, “Annual Report 2004,” Geneva, July 2005, pp. 34, 44.
[95 ]Interview with Malahat
Nahmatova, Assistant Head Physician, Rehabilitation Center of Invalids of the
Republic, Baku, 20 April 2005; for more information, see also Landmine
Monitor Report 2004, p. 931.
[96 ]Interview with Ali Nagiyev,
Minister of Labor and Social Protection, reported in State Telegraph Agency
of the Republic of Azerbaijan (AzerTAC), 29 January 2005.
[97]“UNICEF Supports
Summer Camps for War-Affected Children,” ANAMA press release, 29 July
2005.
[98]For full details of the
survey see ANAMA, “Azerbaijan Mine Victim Needs Assessment Survey
Report,” 6 May 2005,
www.anama.baku.az/pictures/mva/mva_report-ec-2004.pdf.
[99 ]For details, see
Landmine Monitor Report 2004, p. 931. The total budget for the study was
$21,878, paid in installments from ITF over 2003 and 2004. Email from Sheree
Bailey, Standing Tall Australia, 15 September 2005.
[100]See Landmine Monitor
Report 2004, p. 932.
[101 ]Interview with Tahir
Budagov, Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Protection of Azerbaijan Republic,
by Landmine Monitor researchers (Azerbaijan and Chechnya) and Victim Assistance
Research Coordinator, Baku, 28 April 2005.
[102]Telephone interview with
Imran Agayev, ICRC, Baku, 3 June 2005.
[103 ]For more information, see
Landmine Monitor Report 2001, p. 860.
[104]Interview with Rizvan
Veliyev, Deputy Chairman, Karabakh Invalids’ Society, reported in
525-ci gazet, 14 April 2005.
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