  Karabakh demining works to be completed by 2016: USAID October 30, 2014 - 15:57 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-sponsored post-war demining project is in progress in Nagorno Karabakh. “251 fields have been cleared of mines since 2000, making 27000 hectares of land available for farming,” USAID/Armenia Mission Director Karen Hilliard says in a “Karabakh: Peaceful Life near the Ghosts of War” documentary. “According to estimates, a total of 5 percent of non-cleared areas are left, with a $5 funding provided by Halo Trust organization to enable complete demining by 2016,” Ms Hillard said, according to Aravot. Since 1995, 345 people in Karabakh were blown up by mines, one third of them children, with an annual count of victims at 40. At present, the toll has decreased to 5 deaths a year.    The conflict between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan The conflict between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan broke out as result of the ethnic cleansing launched by the Azeri authorities in the final years of the Soviet Union. The Karabakh War was fought from 1991 (when the Nagorno Karabakh Republic was proclaimed) to 1994 (when a ceasefire was sealed by Armenia, NKR and Azerbaijan). Most of Nagorno Karabakh and a security zone consisting of 7 regions are now under control of NKR defense army. Armenia and Azerbaijan are holding peace talks mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group up till now.  Top stories The EU does not intend to conduct military exercises with Armenia, Lead Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano says. A telephone conversation between Putin and Pashinyan before the CSTO summit is not planned, Peskov says. London’s Armenian community has been left feeling “under attack” after the city’s Genocide monument was vandalised. The United States believes there should be an international mission to provide transparency.   Partner news |  Latest news Protesters rally as Georgia debates 'foreign agent' bill  Georgian critics label the bill "the Russian law", comparing it to legislation used by the Kremlin to crack down on dissent.Azerbaijan, Jordan sign deal on defense cooperation Azerbaijan and Jordan have signed an agreement on cooperation in the field of defense, according to an official statement.Iran vows to “decisively” defend sovereignty, national interests The Iranian embassy in Armenia has defended its “defensive and proportional action in in occupied Palestine.”Armenian shooter Elmira Karapetyan Armenian shooter Elmira Karapetyan won gold at the ISSF World Olympic Qualification Tournament in Rio de Janiero. |
