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ARMENIA, Landmine Monitor Report 2002

ARMENIA

Key developments since May 2001: The Armenian National Mine Action Center was officially opened in March 2002. Two 80-person companies are being trained in humanitarian mine action, including a Mine Detecting Dog section.

MINE BAN POLICY

Armenia has not acceded to the Mine Ban Treaty and maintains that it will not do so unless Azerbaijan agrees to join. During a regional Landmine Monitor meeting held in Armenia from 8-10 November 2001, researchers met with Vahram Gabrielian, Head of the Department for Arms Control and International Security of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to discuss various aspects of the Mine Ban Treaty.[1] According to Gabrielian, the main reasons the government will not accede to the treaty are its geopolitical situation, technical difficulties in complying with the treaty, and insufficiently clear guarantees of international assistance for mine clearance.[2]

Gabrielian suggested that a viable option might be to discuss a ban on landmines, as well as issues related to mine clearance, within the context of ongoing negotiations in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group and during bilateral negotiations with Azerbaijan. He stated that Armenia would welcome simultaneous declarations by countries from the region of moratoria on the use and transfer of antipersonnel mines. Gabrielian said Armenia was ready for any other form of collaboration on the landmine issue, including admitting Azeri combat engineers to be trained in the regional mine action center in Armenia.[3]

On 29 November 2001, Armenia voted in favor of United Nations General Assembly Resolution 56/24M, which calls for universalization and implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty.

Armenia did not attend the Third Meeting of States Parties in September 2001, but did attend the intersessional Standing Committee meetings in January and May 2002. The government had anticipated that many aspects of the landmine issue would be discussed during an international meeting that had been scheduled to take place in Armenia in November 2001, with the financial support of the OSCE and Canada. Due to the tragic events in the United States in September 2001, the meeting was postponed. It has been rescheduled for early October 2002, and Armenia welcomes wide participation of international NGOs.[4]

Armenia is not party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW); as with the Mine Ban Treaty, Armenia holds that it cannot take unilateral steps it believes would place it at a disadvantage in the region.[5] Armenia did not participate in the third annual meeting of States Parties to CCW Amended Protocol II or the Second CCW Review Conference, both of which were held in December 2001. In May 2001, Armenia said that it “is considering the possibility to submit, on a voluntary basis the annual report required under article 13 [of Amended Protocol II] and to contribute to improving the coordination and effectiveness of global mine action.”[6]

From 8-10 November 2001, the Armenian National Committee of the ICBL hosted a regional meeting of members of the ICBL to prepare research for Landmine Monitor Report 2002, as well as strategize on advocacy in support of the ban on antipersonnel mines. The campaigners and researchers met with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, visited Yerevan’s Center of Trauma, Orthopedics, and Rehabilitation, and held a roundtable discussion with Armenia’s Deputy Minister of Defense. They also conducted a field visit to the mine-affected Tavush border region north of Yerevan.

PRODUCTION, TRANSFER, STOCKPILING, AND USE

Armenia is not believed to have ever produced or exported antipersonnel mines. It states that it has not imported mines since its independence. It claims that landmine stocks, left from the dissolution of the Soviet Union, are ”negligible.”[7] Although antipersonnel mines have previously been used by both Armenia and Azerbaijan in the conflict,[8] there have been no credible allegations of new use in this reporting period. The Defense Ministry states that the military has been prohibited from laying new mines.[9] According to the Minister of Defense, during the conflict antipersonnel mines were, in the overwhelming majority of cases, used by non-professionals and were not mapped.[10]

LANDMINE PROBLEM

As mentioned in previous Landmine Monitor Reports, the 900-kilometer line that divides the parties to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as well as large adjoining territories, is affected by antipersonnel mines.[11] According to the government, there are 50,000-80,000 landmines in the border area.[12]

The Gegharkunik region, which includes the territory of the Lake Sevan basin, has a 140-kilometer-long common border with Azerbaijan. Over 20 localities in Chambarak and Vardenis district were an arena of warfare and more than 100 kilometers of mountainous areas to the east and south of Chambarak were reportedly mined.[13] The mined territories in Gegharkunik are estimated to cover 100 million square meters and are designated as a “prohibited area.” An additional area of about the same size is designated as a “risk area.” There is no civilian access to those areas. Thus, 200 million square meters of arable croplands have not been used for almost ten years.

The town of Chambarak claims annual budget losses of AMD7 million (about US$12,500) and the population is said to lose AMD 40 million (about US$71,400) because they cannot use the mined farmland.[14] Similarly, the local budget of the village of Vahan, whose location is the most dangerous, sustains annual losses of about AMD5 million (about US$8,900).[15]

In Ararat region, according to the regional administration’s estimates, 3 million square meters of privatized arable land next to the border are mined and thus, are not used.[16]

On 6 November 2001, the Armenian National Assembly discussed the issue of the land tax that thousands are required to pay even though their land is mined.[17] On 21 February 2002, the government decided to grant a land tax exemption to the residents of 147 borderline communities and to write off debts to local budgets on land tax.[18]

In autumn 2001, following pressure by NGOs and the public, the National Assembly passed its first reading of the Law On Borderline Territories, which contains proposals and programs for rehabilitation of borderline territories, including landmine clearance. In December 2001, a government commission was established to examine the issues related to the country’s mined agricultural lands. The Commission is headed by the Deputy Minister of the Territorial Administration and Industrial Infrastructures, and among its members are governors of the borderline regions and representatives of the country’s ministries and agencies.

The issue of clearing the section of the Armenian-Georgian border near Krasny bridge was discussed during a meeting of the Armenian Foreign Minister, Vardan Oskanian, with the Speaker of the Georgian parliament, Nino Burjdanadzeh, in Tbilisi in early February 2002.[19] According to the Foreign Ministry, Armenian specialists helped clear mines near Krasny bridge.

MINE ACTION FUNDING, SURVEY, AND ASSESSMENT

In 2001, Armenia received US$3.15 million in humanitarian demining assistance from the United States.[20] For 2002, the US allocated $1.2 million for Armenia.

On 14 January 2002, two experts from the Office of Humanitarian Mine Action Programs of the US Department of State were present at a monitoring mission on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. The mission was to carry out a preliminary assessment of mine action needed to return two watercourses that ran parallel to the old road to their original pre-war condition. The assessment found that the project would take about three months to complete, but would require necessary security guarantees from the authorities in Armenia and Azerbaijan for the duration of the work. The Armenian Ministry of Defense offered to organize a meeting between the local authorities of Tavush (Armenia) and Kazakh (Azerbaijan) regions and high-ranking military officers of both sides under the chairmanship of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman to sign a Protocol concerning the security guarantees.[21]

The Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation is providing technical support to RONCO to conduct a training needs assessment and train Armenian national staff to ensure the National Mine Action Center is equipped to conduct a Landmine Impact Survey to support national strategic mine action planning.[22]

MINE ACTION

Armenia is determined to build its landmine clearance capacity. The US began working with Armenia in 2000 to renovate facilities, train staff of the National Mine Action Center, carry out mine risk education and information management, and develop survey capabilities.[23] Armenia also intends to integrate mine detection dog teams into its mine action program.[24]

In November 2001, RONCO, announced it would train and equip two 80-person companies in humanitarian mine action, including a Mine Detecting Dog Section and six to ten medical technicians. In addition, RONCO was to train National Mine Action Center staff to manage and implement a comprehensive mine action program.[25]

On 16 March 2002, the Armenian National Mine Action Center was officially opened in Echmiadzin, 25 kilometers from the capital, Yerevan. Serzh Sargsian, the Armenian Defense Minister; John Ordway, US Ambassador to Armenia; top officers from the Armenian armed forces; as well as the heads of other foreign embassies in Armenia, took part in the ceremony.

Minister Sargsian declared that the Center would be important both for the Armenian armed forces and for residents of the country’s mined border areas. Sargsian also noted the significance of the willingness to start mine action in border areas, backed by confidence that war would not break out again between Armenia and Azerbaijan.[26] The US provided $1 million for equipment for the center. Ten US military instructors were scheduled to arrive in Armenia in summer 2002 to beginning training Armenian deminers.[27]

In a November 2001 meeting with Landmine Monitor researchers, the Deputy Minister of Defense had noted that since the ceasefire, minefield maps had been drawn and he claimed that clearance could take place in all areas, except Shurnukh in Goris.[28]

MINE RISK EDUCATION

In order to find out how well informed the population is about various aspects of the landmine problem as well as attitudes about the government’s position on accession to the Mine Ban Treaty, the Armenian National Committee of the ICBL conducted a survey of 260 respondents in four borderline regions of Armenia in December 2001 and January 2002.[29]

A little over 35 percent of the respondents have had landmine casualties among their friends or relatives. The survey demonstrated that a majority of respondents (over 63 percent) knew which areas were mined, but 19 percent did not know, and the rest were not sure. Numbers varied significantly between regions, with greater knowledge in more affected areas. The least informed (27 percent) were respondents in Vayots Dzor region, where very few areas are mined. Only about 11 percent of all those surveyed said that there were warning signs around the mined areas, while approximately 63 percent had never come across such notices and another 25 percent were not sure.

People were also asked which problems concerned them most, as residents of a borderline region. Many respondents stressed the necessity of assistance for people affected by landmines, in particular a land tax exemption (41 percent), a change of tax policies (40 percent), and an increase in disability pensions. Some 31 percent felt the rights of civilians injured by landmines should be the same as those of military personnel.

In all the regions, those surveyed felt landmine clearance was progressing very slowly, and only 37 percent of those interviewed were aware of such efforts. Agricultural lands, particularly privatized land, as well as roads and adjoining forests, are said to be a priority. With respect to who should initiate and carry out mine action in the country, the majority of respondents (58 percent) believed that should be the role of the Armenian government, 19 percent said local governments, a little over 12 percent said the United Nations and other international organizations, including NGOs, and just under five percent said Armenian NGOs.

The survey also sought to find out whether the residents of border regions receive mine risk education. The responses indicated that schools do not provide children with adequate information. Only 34 percent were confident that such training is given at schools. Special courses, however, were not provided in any of the regions.

Only 18 percent of respondents could recall mine risk education initiatives that targeted residents in their houses. About 95 percent stressed the necessity of providing the population with information about landmines and precautions to take. Virtually no one had any doubts about the necessity of communicating such knowledge to schoolchildren. Only 14 percent of respondents regarded their knowledge as sufficient to identify a landmine and to take measures to inform relevant authorities. Some 66 percent felt television to be the most critical vehicle for raising awareness about landmines; the same percent said they had never seen a single TV program on landmines.

LANDMINE CASUALTIES

There are no official statistics available on the number of landmine casualties in Armenia. It would appear that the majority of landmine casualties are young men drafted into the army. The Armenian National Committee of the ICBL is compiling and verifying a database on landmine casualties among Armenian citizens.[30] As of April 2002, the database contained information on 343 survivors, including both soldiers and civilians injured in landmine incidents in 11 provinces of Armenia; of these survivors, 228 were injured after the armistice was signed in May 1994. There were five mine casualties reported in 2001.

SURVIVOR ASSISTANCE

Military mine casualties have greater access to medical and rehabilitative facilities than civilian casualties, but generally Armenia has an adequate material-technical base and qualified personnel for specialized medical assistance, for producing prosthetic appliances, and for rehabilitating and reintegrating landmine survivors. However, a lack of adequate resources limits the capacity of existing facilities to adequately and efficiently address the needs of landmine survivors.

Armenia has a wide network of health-care facilities. As of 1 January 2001, there were 171 civilian hospitals and six military hospitals, including two in Yerevan (the Central Clinical Military Hospital and the Yerevan Garrison Hospital), a field military hospital in Vanadzor and Tavush, and two field military hospitals in border areas. The largest specialized medical and rehabilitation facilities are concentrated in Yerevan and include the Center of Traumatology, Orthopedics & Rehabilitation, the A. Mikaelian Institute of Surgery, the Research Institute of Health Science and Physical Medicine, the First Aid Research Center, the Stress Center, the Center for Medical Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons, and the Yerevan Prosthetic-Orthopedic Enterprise (POE).[31] Civilian mine casualties can receive emergency care in military field hospitals. All amputees, both military and civilian, can get their prosthetic appliances from the POE.

In January 2002, the Yerevan Prosthetic-Orthopedic Enterprise stopped providing assistance because of a lack of state funding. This is a repeat of the situation reported in the previous year when the POE closed between October 2000 and February 2001.[32] On 8 May 2002, disabled veterans of the Nagorno-Karabakh war staged a rally at the Government Building to protest the fact that POE could not provide services to persons with disabilities because the Government has not disbursed the funding allocated for its operation. Commenting on the protest action, the chief financial officer of the Ministry of Social Security stated that for the previous seven months the POE had not received funding of about US$205,500 (AMD120 million) and, as a result, was unable to purchase materials to produce prosthetic and assistive devices. The provision of services to persons with disabilities could be resumed in a matter of days once the funding was disbursed.[33]

DISABILITY POLICY AND PRACTICE

Armenia’s “Law on Social Protection of the Disabled in Armenia” protects the rights of civilians with disabilities, including landmine survivors. The rights of military landmine survivors and their family members are covered by “On social security system for military personnel and their family members.”[34] At the national level the coordination of disability issues is the responsibility of the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Social Security, and the social security division of the Ministry of Defense.

Medical services are provided free to persons with disabilities within the framework of existing laws, but in reality the lack of state resources makes access problematic. The desperate socioeconomic situation of the country has resulted in the growing inaccessibility of medical services for a majority of the population, including persons with disabilities.

<AFGHANISTAN | AZERBAIJAN>

[1] Interview with Vahram Gabrielian, Head of the Department for Arms Control and International Security, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Yerevan, 8 November 2001.
[2] Interview with Vahram Gabrielian, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Yerevan, 8 November 2001.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Landmine Monitor Report 2001, pp. 849-850.
[6] Letter from Karen A. Nazarian, Permanent Representative of the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Armenia to the United Nations in Geneva, to Ambassador Kalman Petocz, President of the Second Annual Conference of States Parties to Amended Protocol II, 29 May 2001. Distributed as CCW/AP.II/CONF.3/INF.1, 1 June 2001.
[7] Interview with Lt. General Vagharshak Harutiunian, Minister of Defense, Republic of Armenia, 19 April 2000.
[8] Landmine Monitor Report 2000, p. 793.
[9] Interview with General Yury Khachaturov, Deputy Minister of Defense, Yerevan, 9 November 2001.
[10] Statement of Armenian Defense Minister Serzh Sargsian at the inauguration of the Armenian Mine Action Center, 16 March 2002.
[11] Landmine Monitor Report 2000, pp. 794-795; Landmine Monitor Report 2001, pp. 850-851.
[12] Reply of the Republic of Armenia to the Questionnaire on Anti-Personnel Landmines, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, FSC.DEL/92/00, 29 March 2000, as reported in Landmine Monitor Report 2000, p. 794.
[13] Khosrov Khelgatian, “Landmines will always be a hazard to life,” Zhamanaki oughekits/Time guide (weekly), 8 September 2001.
[14] Information provided by Hayk Lazarian, Chambarak Mayor, , August 2001.
[15] Information provided by Husik Apressian, head of community, August 2001.
[16] Information provided by Bagrat Sargsyan, Secretary of Ararat Regional Governor’s Office, 12 February 2002.
[17] “Questions & Answers in the National Assembly,” Armenian Public TV Program, 6 November 2001.
[18] Dzeragir/handwriting (a weekly Armenian Public Television program), 4 March 2002.
[19] Orakarg/Agenda, (Armenian Public Television program), 17 February 2002, reporting on Vardan Oskanian’s official visit to Tbilisi.
[20] US Department of State, “To Walk the Earth in Safety, The United States Commitment to Humanitarian Demining,” November 2001, p. 24.
[21] Information provided by G. Kocharian, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Yerevan, 29 March 2002.
[22] Interview with William E. Barron, Planning and Logistics Officer, Mine Action Program, VVAF, Yerevan, 21 February 2002.
[23] US Department of State, “To Walk the Earth in Safety,” November 2001, p. 24.
[24] Information provided by G. Kocharian, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Yerevan, 29 March 2002.
[25] See: www.roncoconsulting.com/news/imas_programs.html.
[26] Interview with Armenian Defense Minister, Serzh Sargsian, on Haylur (news program), Armenian Public Television, 16 March 2002.
[27] ARMINFO News Agency, 16 March 2002.
[28] Interview with General Yury Khachaturov, Deputy Minister of Defense, Yerevan, 9 November 2001.
[29] Some 60 people were surveyed in Kapan and 39 in Goris, in Syunik region; 30 in Chambarak, in Gegharkunik region; 56 in Eghegnadzor, in Vayots Dzor region; and 56 in Idjevan and 19 in Noyemberian, in Tavush region.
[30] The database contains full details including the names and addresses of survivors, both military and civilian. Data is collected mainly through medical and rehabilitation facilities and interviews with survivors. See Landmine Monitor Report 2001, p. 853.
[31] Data from the Information and Analytical Center of Health Care Protection, 2001; Landmine Monitor Report 2001, pp. 854-855.
[32] Landmine Monitor Report 2001, p. 854.
[33] Edward Gevorkian, Chief Financial Officer, Ministry of Social Security, interview on Zham (news program), Armenian television, 8 May 2002.
[34] For full details see Landmine Monitor Report 2000, p. 798.