The 4th International Mine Action Conference, themed “Humanitarian Demining for Urban Recovery: Setting Standards of Excellence for Safe Settlements,” co-organized by the Mine Action Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan (ANAMA) and the United Nations Office in Azerbaijan, concluded in Baku on Thursday.

Axar.az reports that, addressing the second day of the event, Elchin Amirbayov, Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on Special Assignments, noted that although the fighting has ceased in the country, mines have not yet fallen silent. He emphasized that humanitarian demining has already evolved from a humanitarian effort into a peacebuilding mission.

The Presidential representative also touched upon the historic Washington Summit, stating: “A little over a year ago, on August 8, 2025, Azerbaijan and Armenia took a landmark step in Washington. The agreed text of the peace treaty was initialed by the foreign ministers, while the leaders signed the Joint Washington Declaration. This document presented a vision for a future liberated from the grip of the past conflict.”

Marijana Kujundžić, Head of the European Union (EU) Delegation to Azerbaijan, underlined that experience has shown that mine action and reconstruction must go hand in hand. Recovery is most effective when it is guided by long-term planning, strong institutions, and, above all, the needs of affected communities.

Erfan Ali, Director of the Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia at the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), noted that, for UN-Habitat, humanitarian demining is a fundamental component of urban policy, planning, and financing.

“China will continue to provide support to Azerbaijan in the field of humanitarian demining,” said Shen Zhang, Counsellor of the Department of Arms Control of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China.

According to him, last year, the governments of China and Azerbaijan signed a Memorandum of Understanding on strengthening bilateral humanitarian cooperation. He added that China provided Azerbaijan with financial assistance of 2 million yuan under the memorandum.

The event then continued with panel discussions and presentations.

The conference concluded with the adoption of a statement.