Head of the Delegation of the European Parliament for Relations with South Caucasus, Member of the European Parliament Marina Kaljurand; Permanent Rapporteur for Armenia, Member of the European Parliament Andrey Kovatchev and Rapporteur for Azerbaijan, Member of the European Parliament Zeljana Zovko have issued a joint statement calling on Armenia and Azerbaijan to exchange accessible information to continue demining effectively.

The MEPs regretted the death of three Azerbaijanis who died after the June 4 mine explosion in Karvachar, which is under the control of the Azerbaijani side following Azerbaijan’s aggression against Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh).

The MEPs stated that the two sides must assume the commitment to cooperate and exchange accessible information to continue demining effectively and take immediate steps to abolish the main obstacles for mutual trust and reconciliation, starting from the release of all captives, renunciation of the provoking rhetoric, withdrawal of troops from disputed border regions and resumption of negotiations over a long-term settlement of the conflict and the future status of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The MEPs added that landmines are, by nature, weapons of indiscriminate action that can’t distinguish civil and military targets, and what is painful is the fact that neither Armenia nor Azerbaijan is a member to the 1997 Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (Ottawa Treaty). They also call on the sides to agree on joining the Convention not only as a means of confidence-building and suggest that the sides express their willingness to take a joint step as soon as possible.