European Union Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, visited the recently liberated city of Sarijali in Aggdam in Azerbaijan on Thursday. It's part of a three-day tour trip to both Azerbaijan and Armenia to strengthen ties and cooperation.
During her visit, she inspected mined areas and observed demining operations carried out by the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA).
The Commissioner was informed that a significant number of mines had been laid in the territories during the occupation.
Demining operations commenced following the liberation of the areas, and a number of sites have since been cleared of mines and unexploded ordnance. It was also noted that civilians have been affected by mines planted during the occupation.
ANAMA officials briefed Marta Kos on demining efforts conducted between 2020 and 2025. According to the agency, from November 2020 to 17 September 2025, a total of 227,713.3 hectares in Karabakh and Eastern Zangazur have been cleared of mines and explosive remnants of war. This includes 38,600 anti-personnel mines, 22,192 anti-tank mines, and 148,376 unexploded ordnance, amounting to 209,168 hazardous items neutralised in total.
Last year, the organisation discovered 59,163 pieces of unexploded ordonance, 4,286 anti-personnel mines, 2,372 anti-tank mines and cleared 62,023 hectares of land, according to its website.
Last month, it cleared 6,481 hectares of land and found 2,628 unexploded devices.
The operations involve manual clearance, specialised mechanical equipment, and mine-detecting dogs.
Marta Kos also observed the process of neutralising mines through controlled detonation.
She will visit Armenia on Friday where she will sign two projects with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
The European Union says there are now opportunities for the EU to reinforce its cooperation and build on EU relations in the South Caucasus region with the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process.
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