Summary: Non-signatory Azerbaijan states that it cannot consider acceding to the convention until its dispute with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh and other occupied territories is resolved. Azerbaijan voted in favor of a key United Nations (UN) resolution promoting the convention in December 2017. It has never participated in a meeting of the convention, even as an observer.

Azerbaijan is not known to have produced or exported cluster munitions but inherited a stockpile of cluster munitions from the Soviet Union. Azerbaijan and Armenia have both denied using cluster munitions in Nagorno-Karabakh in April 2016 and accused each other of being responsible for this use.

Policy

The Republic of Azerbaijan has not acceded to the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

Azerbaijan says it cannot join the convention until the conflict with Armenia is resolved, including the status of Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan has not commented on the Convention on Cluster Munitions since in August 2010, when a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official expressed support for the convention but said Azerbaijan cannot join “at this stage” because of the “ongoing occupation” by Armenia of Nagorno-Karabakh and “seven areas adjoining regions” of Azerbaijan.[1]

Azerbaijan participated in some Oslo Process meetings that led to the creation of the Convention on Cluster Munitions but did not attend the formal negotiations in Dublin in May 2008.[2]

Unlike other non-signatories, Azerbaijan has never participated in a meeting of the convention, even as an observer. It was invited to, but did not attend, the convention’s Seventh Meeting of States Parties in Geneva in September 2017.

Nonetheless, Azerbaijan voted in favor of a UN General Assembly (UNGA) resolution that urges states outside the Convention on Cluster Munitions to “join as soon as possible.”[3] It voted in favor of the first UNGA resolutions on the convention in 2015 and 2016.

Azerbaijan is not party to the Mine Ban Treaty or the Convention on Conventional Weapons.

Production, transfer, and stockpiling

Azerbaijan is not known to have produced or exported cluster munitions, but it inherited a stockpile from the Soviet Union.

Jane’s Information Group has reported that the country’s air force possesses RBK-250, RBK-250-275, and RBK-500 cluster bombs.[4] RBK-250 bombs with PTAB submunitions were observed among the abandoned Soviet-era ammunition stockpiles located near the village of Saloğlu in the northwestern part of the country in 2005.[5]

Azerbaijan received 50 Extra surface-to-surface missiles from Israel for its Lynx multi-barrel rocket launchers in 2008–2009.[6] The Extra missile can have either a unitary or submunition warhead, but the variant acquired by Azerbaijan is not known.[7]

Azerbaijan also possesses Grad 122mm and Smerch 300mm surface-to-surface rockets, but it is not known if these include versions with submunition payloads.[8] Azerbaijan acquired 12 Smerch 300mm surface-to-surface rocket launchers from Ukraine in 2007–2008.[9]

Use

There is credible evidence that at least two types of ground-fired cluster munition rockets were used in Nagorno-Karabakh during the first week of April 2016, during fighting across the line of contact separating local Armenian-backed separatists and Azerbaijani forces. Ground fighting was confined to areas close to the line of contact, but Azerbaijan launched artillery and rockets more than 10 kilometers into Nagorno-Karabakh from 1 April until 5 April 2016, when a ceasefire went into effect.[10]

Within 10 days, emergency clearance operations by HALO Trust destroyed approximately 200 unexploded M095 DPICM-type submunitions near the villages of Nerkin Horatagh and Mokhratagh, close to the town of Martakert in northeast Nagorno-Karabakh.[11] It also cleared remnants of Israeli-produced LAR-160 surfaced-fired rockets, which deliver the M095 DPICM submunitions.[12] The cluster munitions were reportedly fired from Azerbaijan.[13]

Cluster Munition Monitor was not able to conduct an independent investigation to make a conclusive determination about responsibility for this cluster munition use.

Azerbaijan and Armenia have both denied using cluster munitions in the brief conflict and accused the other side of using the weapon against civilians. Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed on 28 April 2016 that “cluster munitions used by the Armenian troops against the civilian Azerbaijani population living densely along the line of contact…do not bear any military goal and serve solely to perpetrate mass killings among the civilians.”[14] Armenia’s Ministry of Defense issued photographs on 6 April 2016 showing the remnants of Smerch rockets that it claimed Azerbaijan fired into Nagorno-Karabakh.[15]

Unknown quantities of air-dropped RBK-series cluster bombs were used in Nagorno-Karabakh during the 1988–1994 conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the territory. In June 2016, HALO destroyed an unexploded PTAB-1M submunition found by a farmer on agricultural land near the village of Mugalny.[16]

Policy

The Republic of Azerbaijan has not acceded to the Mine Ban Treaty. It has stated that it supports the goals of the treaty, including a comprehensive ban, but that it “cannot accede to the Ottawa Convention without settlement of the armed conflict, restoration of territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and having a threat of hostility resumption, even though Azerbaijan stopped planting of additional mines…Therefore adherence to the Ottawa Convention will be possible only after the final settlement of the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia.”[1]

Still, Azerbaijan has demonstrated support for the treaty. It has voted in favor of the annual UN General Assembly resolution promoting universalization of the treaty every year since 2005, including Resolution 74/34 in 2016. Azerbaijan submitted voluntary Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 transparency reports in 2008 and 2009. While the reports have details about mine clearance, victim assistance, and mine risk education, they do not include any information on Azerbaijan’s stockpiled antipersonnel mines.

Azerbaijan did not attend the 2014 Mine Ban Treaty Review Conference in Maputo, or the 15^th Meeting of States Parties in Santiago in November–December 2016. It last attended a Meeting of States Parties in 2010.

Azerbaijan is not party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons.

Production, transfer, stockpiling, and use

The disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh is contaminated by landmines, remnants from the Nagorno-Karabakh War fought from 1992–94 between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan has stated on several occasions that it does not produce or export antipersonnel mines.[2] Azerbaijan’s landmine stockpile is a legacy of the Soviet era, but the types and quantities in the stockpile is not known.

Officials have stated that Azerbaijan has not used antipersonnel mines since the end of open conflict with Armenia in 1994. They have also said that while Azerbaijan does not intend to use antipersonnel mines in the future, it does not rule out the possibility.[3] Azerbaijan apparently has not taken any specific legal measures to prohibit production, trade, or use of antipersonnel mines.

Notes: ERW = explosive remnants of war; UXO = unexploded ordnance; AXO = abandoned ordnance; BAC = battle area clearance; EOD = explosive ordinance disposal.

Contamination

Mine and ERW contamination in the Republic of Azerbaijan is the consequenceof the 1988–1994 armed conflict with Armenia, which saw landmines laid by both sides, and ammunition abandoned by the Soviet army in 1991. The most heavily contaminated areas are along the borders and confrontation lines between Armenia and Azerbaijan, including the area in and around Nagorno-Karabakh (see separate report on Nagorno-Karabakh). The adjoining districts of Gubadly, Jabrayil, Kelbajar, Lachin, and Zangilan, as well as parts of Aghdam, Fizuli, and Tartar, are under the control of Armenian forces, and are suspected to contain mines and UXO.[1]

Mine contamination

The precise extent of contamination from antipersonnel mines in Azerbaijan is unknown,as Armenian forces currently occupy a significant area of the country where considerable contamination exists. The area suspected to contain antipersonnel mines in Azerbaijan as of the end of 2017 has not been publicly reported. At the end of 2015, 69.9km² of area was suspected to contain antipersonnel mines.[2]

The Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA) has reported that additional contamination has been found, mainly in former soviet army firing ranges and training polygons. However, they are unable to give a precise figure for the extent of the contamination saying this will only be known after a country-wide resurvey, which will be carried out once resources are available.[3]

The extent of contamination in areas occupied by Armenia is unknown, although the ANAMA has suggested that contamination may cover between 350km² and 830km², and contain between 50,000 and 100,000 mines.[4]

Cluster munition contamination

In government-controlled areas of Azerbaijan, no cluster munition contamination has been reported since clearance last took place in 2011. However, there are significant quantities of cluster munition remnants in and around Nagorno-Karabakh (see Nagorno-Karabakh’s Mine Action profile for details).

The precise extent of contamination from cluster munition remnants in Azerbaijan is unknown, as Armenian forces currently occupy a significant area of the country, where the contamination exists. There may also be some minimal contamination in territory under government control.[5]

In 1988, a decision by the parliament of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Province to secede from Azerbaijan and join Armenia led to hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan from 1988 to 1994. Large quantities of cluster munitions were dropped from the air during the conflict.

In 2007, the Azerbaijan Campaign to Ban Landmines (AzCBL) surveyed cluster munition contamination in the non-occupied border regions of Azerbaijan. It concluded that cluster munitions (among other ordnance) had been used in the Aghdam and Fizuli regions.[6] In 2006 and 2007, remnants were found in and around warehouses at a former Soviet ammunition storage area located at Saloglu in Agstafa district, where clearance was completed in July 2011.[7]

On 1 April 2016, intense fighting broke out in Nagorno-Karabakh along the front line, pittingArmenian and Nagorno-Karabakh forces against those of Azerbaijan. While ground fighting was confined to areas close to the Line of Contact (LOC), artillery fire penetrated more than 10km into Nagorno-Karabakh, and included the use of cluster munitions, which resultedin 2.4km² of new cluster munition contamination in Nagorno-Karabakh.[8] No cluster munition contamination has been reported on the Azerbaijan-controlled side of the LOC.A ceasefire was agreed on 5 April 2016 (see the separate report on Nagorno-Karabakh).

Other explosive remnants of war

Other areas are confirmed or suspected to contain ERW: both UXO and AXO. These include former military testing areas, including the former Soviet firing and training ranges at Jeyranchel in the Agstafa region and in Kirdagh; and a former shooting range in Ganja.[9] On 27 August 2017, an explosion occurred at the Khizi ammunition depot and, as of December 2017, 114 items of UXO had been found during emergency clearance of the surrounding area.[10]

Program Management

ANAMA reports to the deputy prime minister as head of the State Commission for Reconstruction and Rehabilitation.[11] In April 1999, ANAMA established the Azerbaijan Mine Action Program, a joint project of the government of Azerbaijan and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).[12] A joint working group, established in December 1999 and consisting of representatives from various ministries, provides regular guidance to ANAMA.[13]

ANAMA is tasked with planning, coordinating, managing, and monitoring mine action in the country. It also conducts demining operations, along with two national operators it contracts: Dayag-Relief Azerbaijan (RA) and the International Eurasia Press Fund (IEPF).[14] No commercial company is active in mine action in Azerbaijan.

ANAMA manages the mine action program via its headquarters based in Baku, a regional office in Fizuli, a regional training center in Goygol, and three operational centers, located in Aghjabedi, Agstafa, and Terter.[15]

The UNDP provides support to ANAMA, and will continue to do so until 2019, as part of a project to support the institutional capacity of ANAMA for mine/UXO clearance, risk education, victim assistance, international networking, and support to other mine-affected countries.[16]

Strategic planning

ANAMA is integrated into the State Social and Economic Development program. The current mine action strategy is for 2013–2018.[17] A new strategic plan is currently in development. Its main aims are said to be to continued ERW clearance in support of government development projects, and to provide safe conditions for the local population in affected regions.[18]

ANAMA’s long-term strategy is to clear the occupied territories as and when it is possible to do so.[19]

According to ANAMA all clearance operations are carried out in line with an annual plan approved by the government of Azerbaijan and based on the requests from land owners such as local executive authorities, farmers, and different state organizations involved in reconstruction and rehabilitation activities in ERW-affected regions.[20]

Legislation and standards

As of May 2018, Azerbaijan was still in the process of adopting a national mine action law, with draft legislation under review by the Cabinet of Ministers.[21] Once adopted, it will regulate mine action in Azerbaijan, governing issues such as licensing, accreditation, quality assurance (QA), and tender procedures.[22]

Azerbaijan also has its own National Mine Action Standards (NMAS), which were adopted in 2001 and subsequently revised in 2003, 2004, and 2010.[23]

Operators

At the end of 2017, ANAMA employed 632 operational and administrative staff and had 49 mine detection dogs (MDDs) and six demining machines.[24] Included in this capacity are the two national demining NGOs, IEPF and Dayag, which are contracted for mine clearance. Together, the two organizations employ 156 operational and administrative staff.[25] ANAMA also has an MDD breeding and training center, which was built in 2011.[26]

Land Release (mines)

The total mined area released by clearance and survey in 2017 was 9.06km², a huge increase from the 2.3km² released the previous year.[27]

Survey in 2017(mines)

In 2017, 0.25km² of land was cancelled by non-technical survey and 1.12km² of land was reduced by technical survey, of which 0.25km² was reduced by MDDs.[28]

Machines were used for ground preparation before technical survey, in total 2.5km² of land was prepared by machines in 2017.[29]

Clearance in 2017(mines)

Azerbaijan reported clearing 7.69km² of land in 2017,[30] a significant increase from the 0.83km² cleared in 2016.[31] Of the 2017 total, however, 3.6km² contained no mines. This clearance was conducted by IEPF and RA in the village of Jojuq Marjanli, which had been liberated following the April 2016 conflict and to which IDPs had begun to return. In order to facilitate their safe return, the two demining organizations were rapidly deployed for clearance. Although ANAMA has suggested that this rapid deployment explains the low amount of contamination in the areas that have been cleared it does not explain why significant areas of land were fully cleared without confirming whether contamination was present. Clearance of Jojuq Marjanli continued into 2018 to support infrastructure building works.[32]

Mine clearance in 2017[33]

* includes the items destroyed only during mine clearance and not technical survey.

In addition, AMAMA tasks its Special Mobile Emergency Response Team or the national NGOs—depending on the location of the call-out—to respond to EOD requests from the local community, government bodies, and international humanitarian organizations.[34] ANAMA, IEPF, and RA responded to a total of 157 requests in 2017, during which they found 7,528 explosive items, seven of which were antipersonnel mines, in 31 regions of Azerbaijan.[35]

Land Release (cluster munition remnants)

No cluster munition survey or clearance took place in territory under government control in 2017.[36]

Battle area clearance in 2017

In January 2017, ANAMA began the third phase of the three-phase Azerbaijan National Action Plan (NAP)/NATO Partnership for Peace (PfP) Trust fund project, at the former Soviet artillery shooting range in Jeyranchel, in the Agstafa region, on the border with Georgia. The third phase was projected to finish in June 2018 and would result in release of nearly 22km² of land contaminated with UXO.[37]

In addition, ANAMA continued to implement the Ganja UXO clearance project.[38] As of August 2017, the majority of ANAMA’s battle area clearance teams were deployed to clear the results of the explosion at the Khizi ammunition storage area.[39] 

During ERW clearance in 2017, ANAMA cleared 62 sites, totaling 33.3km², during which it destroyed 25,102 items of ERW as well as five antipersonnel mines and 60 antivehicle mines; IEPF cleared 15 sites, totaling 27.4km², during which it destroyed 2,616 items of ERW; and RA cleared 20 sites, totaling 24.5km², during which it destroyed 7,332 items of ERW as well as two antipersonnel mines and four antivehicle mines.[40]

Progress in 2018

In 2018, most of ANAMA’s clearance assets were being deployed for emergency clearance after an explosion at the Khizi ammunition storage area, continuing clearance of the former shooting range in Jeyranchel in Agstafa as well as continuing clearance of the JojuqMarjanli village to support infrastructure construction.[41]

Progress towards completion of mine clearance

Over the last five years, 19.44km² of mined area
has been cleared in Azerbaijan. Mine clearance output increased dramatically in 2017 (see table below).

Mine clearance in 2013–2017[42]

* Of which 3.7km²was cleared but was found not to contain mines.

Currently, 90% of mine action in Azerbaijan is state funded.[43] ANAMA’s long-term strategy is to be ready to start clearance of the occupied territories as and when this is possible.[44]

The Monitor acknowledges the contributions of the Mine Action Review (www.mineactionreview.org), which has conducted the primary mine action research in 2018 and shared all its country-level landmine reports (from“Clearing the Mines 2018”) and country-level cluster munition reports (from “Clearing Cluster Munition Remnants 2018”) with the Monitor. The Monitor is responsible for the findings presented online and in its print publications.

Casualties Overview

The Azerbaijan Campaign to Ban Landmines (AzCBL) recorded 14 casualties from mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) on the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan (excluding Nagorno Karabakh); two people were killed (one civilians and one military personnel) and 12 were injured (six civilians and six military). All casualties were male. The mine/ERW casualties in 2016 occurred in nine incidents in the regions of Fizuli, Goranboy, Qazakh, Aghdam, Tovuz, Aghstafa, and Sumqayit city.[1]

The Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA) recorded four mine/ERW casualties for 2016; one person killed and three injured.[2]

The variation in past annual casualty figures reported by key actors is due to differing collection methodologies. ANAMA collects casualty data through a network of district representatives and from media reports. Only incidents that occur in mine/ERW hazard areas and can be verified are recorded in the Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA). The AzCBL gathers information in affected districts (except the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic) from its regional coordinators, civil and military hospitals, and rehabilitation centers, as well as from the local media.[3]

The total number of casualties from mines/ERW in Azerbaijan is unknown. From 1999 when it first started recording casualty data to the end of 2013, the AzCBL identified 451 casualties (100 killed; 338 injured; 13 unknown). According to the informal information available to the AzCBL, there have been some 3,000 mines/ERW casualties in Azerbaijan, including almost 500 people killed. Most of the mines/ERW casualties occurred in 1991–1994, during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.[4]

ANAMA reported a total of 2,439 mine/ERW casualties (383 killed; 2,056 injured) in Azerbaijan from the early 1990s to the end of 2016.[5]

Casualties Overview

The Azerbaijan Campaign to Ban Landmines (AzCBL) recorded 25 casualties from mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) on the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan (excluding Nagorno Karabakh); six people were killed (two civilians and four military personnel) and 19 were injured (seven civilians and twelve military). All casualties were male. The mine/ERW casualties occurred in 15 incidents (nine antipersonnel mine; four antivehicle mine and two unexploded ordnance, UXO) in the regions of Fizuli, Kazakh, Ter-Ter, Tovuz, Goychay, Sadarak, Sumgait and Baku city (in a military training area). It is possible that other casualties may have occurred for which reporting was not available.[1] In 2013, AzCBL recorded 13 mine/ERW casualties from incidents which occurred in the regions of Gazakh, Ter-Ter, Tovuz, and Absheron, as well as at a military training area in Baku.[2]

The Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA) recorded 22 mine/ ERW casualties for 2014; six people were killed (two civilians and four soldiers) and 16 injured (five civilians and eleven soldiers). All casualties were male.[3] ANAMA recorded eight casualties for 2013.[4]

Variation in past annual casualty data reported by key actors is due to differing collection methodologies. ANAMA collects casualty data through a network of district representatives and from media reports. Only incidents that occur in mine/ERW hazard areas and can be verified are recorded in the Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA). AzCBL gathers information in affected districts (except the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic) from its regional coordinators, civil and military hospitals, and rehabilitation centers, as well as from the local media.[5]

The total number of casualties from mines/ERW in Azerbaijan is unknown. From 1999 when it first started recording casualty data to the end of 2013, AzCBL identified 451 casualties (100 killed; 338 injured; 13 unknown). According to the informal information available to AzCBL, there have been some 3,000 mines/ERW casualties in Azerbaijan, including almost 500 people killed. Most of the mines/ERW casualties occurred in 1991–1994 during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.[6]

ANAMA reported a total of 2,415 mine/ERW casualties (378 killed; 2,037 injured) in Azerbaijan from the early 1990s to the end of 2014.[7]

Victim Assistance

At least 1,843 mine/ERW survivors were known to be still living in Azerbaijan as of the end of 2010, when data was last cross-checked.[8]

Victim assistance coordination

ANAMA is the government focal point for victim assistance. Implementation of the Mine Victim Assistance (MVA) Strategy of the Azerbaijan Mine Action Program was coordinated through the MVA Working Group, led by ANAMA, which included national NGOs, the Azerbaijan Red Crescent Society (AzRCS), and other relevant organizations.[9] Victim assistance was carried out within the broader UNDP- and ANAMA-agreed project “Further expansion of mine action capacity in Azerbaijan” (2011–2015).[10]

The Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Population (MLSPP) and the Ministry of Health are responsible for protecting the rights of persons with disabilities more generally.[11]

Service accessibility and effectiveness

Regional centers for the rehabilitation of persons with disabilities existed in 14 municipalities of Azerbaijan.[12] The MLSPP provided rehabilitation and prostheses through these regional rehabilitation centers and through the Rehabilitation Center of Invalids of the Republic in Baku.

AzCBL continued to raise awareness among survivors and persons with disabilities about their rights and current relevant legislation. It also assisted mine/ERW survivors in the Fizuli, Beylaqan, and Imishli regions directly by providing professional legal assistance and supporting survivors through the legal processes necessary to access ongoing benefits and support. This legal assistance had not previously been available in those regions. Eighteen people with disabilities received legal advice organized in the frame of the project. The beneficiaries included landmine survivors, disabled people of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and veterans (former Soviet Union) with disabilities from armed conflict in Afghanistan.[13]

National legislation prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities. There was no legislation mandating access to public or other buildings for persons with disabilities, and most buildings were not accessible.[14]

Azerbaijan ratified the CRPD and its Optional Protocol on 28 January 2009.