Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA) and UN Development Program (UNDP) signed an agreement on Wednesday to start the third phase of the project on strengthening and extension of mine actions in Azerbaijan. ANAMA Director General Nazim Ismayilov said ANAMA would receive technical assistance, advices and coordination and development assistance in the third phase of the project in 2009-2011, APA reports. “UNDP will support ANAMA to strengthen and to extend the mine actions, to provide education about the mine threats, to support mine victims, to assist other countries suffered from mine problem”.
Ismayilov said UNDP-ANAMA cooperation began in 1999 within the first phase of the mine action project. The project covers searches, mapping and cleaning of mine fields, creating of necessary national potential for mine cleaning operations in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan after liberation.
ANAMA Director said the $6.6 mln project would turn ANAMA into the International Mine Action Center. The government of Azerbaijan will allocate $ 6 million and UNDP – $ 600 000 for the project. “Earlier ANAMA supported the neighbor countries to organize the trainings and exercises. This center will create new opportunities to gain knowledge, experience and information about the mine actions in the world”.
UN resident-coordinator in Azerbaijan Bruno Pueza noted that the cooperation with ANAMA give positive results. He said UNDP would continue its support to ANAMA even during the mine cleaning operations in the territories of Azerbaijan liberated from the occupation.
APA
