Karabakh demining works to be completed by 2016: USAIDOctober 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 Six total incidents have burned 19 old-growth trees. Friday night 8 trees were torched along the beautiful main entrance. The EU does not intend to conduct military exercises with Armenia, Lead Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano says. Hikmet Hajiyev has said that there is no place for USAID operation in Azerbaijan any longer. A telephone conversation between Putin and Pashinyan before the CSTO summit is not planned, Peskov says. Partner news | Narek Manasyan wins European Boxing Championships silver for Armenia Armenia’s Narek Manasyan (92kg) won Armenia’s second silver medal at the European Boxing Championships 2024 on April 28. Pashinyan, Blinken talk Armenia-U.S. ties over the phone Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 28, Pashinyan’s office reports. Azerbaijan must respect human rights, Scholz tells Aliyev German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called for greater respect for human rights in Azerbaijan. Armenia: Defense Ministry warns against involving army in political processes The Ministry’s statement came after a video surfaced online, showing soldiers joining the protests in Tavush. |