The handover of maps of mined areas in the Aghdam region by Armenia to Azerbaijan is another victory of Ilham Aliyev and the policy of Azerbaijani diplomacy, APA reports.
The Azerbaijani side handed over 15 detained Armenian servicemen to Armenia on the Georgian-Armenian border, while Armenia provided Azerbaijan with a mine map for the liberated Aghdam region.
The maps contain information about the placement of 100,000 tanks and anti-personnel mines in the Aghdam region.
The investigation proved that the 15 servicemen extradited to Armenia did not commit serious crimes against Azerbaijan and its citizens.
After the liberation of the lands from the Armenian occupation, the most important issue for Azerbaijan was the demining of these areas. For 30 years, the Armenian occupiers have built a large number of barricades, fortifications, fortifications, and planted hundreds of thousands of mines in these areas.
Dozens of Azerbaijani citizens were killed and wounded after the end of hostilities in these lands. The Armenian government stubbornly denied the existence of mass mines and maps of mined areas.
This fact, as well as attempts to increase border tensions and send provocative groups to the territories of Azerbaijan, once again prove the unconstructive position of Armenia in the implementation of the provisions of the trilateral statement of November 10, 2010.
However, thanks to the principled position of President Ilham Aliyev and his excellent diplomatic skills, it is possible to resolve all acute issues. The head of state raised the issue of minefields on almost all international platforms and demanded that the international community intervene in this matter and renounce Armenia's anti-human, misanthropic policy. Another major achievement of Ilham Aliyev is the active participation of the US State Department and the European Union in this issue and the fact that Armenia was forced to agree to provide maps of mined areas.
In the absence of mine maps, the process of demining the territory of the Aghdam region alone could take years, which would cost tens of millions of manats in addition to the Azerbaijani budget, and could kill hundreds of citizens. Of course, as a result, it would not be possible to speed up the restoration work and ensure the return of the population to these lands.