Italian RAI TV Channel airs report on Azerbaijan’s Karabakh region
Italy’s RAI TV channel has broadcast a report about Azerbaijan’s landmine problem, as well as the restoration and reconstruction projects underway in Karabakh.
Barbara Carfagna, RAI’s correspondent, who traveled to Azerbaijan, highlighted the problem facing the country most heavily contaminated with landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXOs) in the world.
The report highlights the contamination of the liberated territories with mines and unexploded ordnance. It underlines that beyond their severe humanitarian toll, these landmines also inflict significant environmental damage. The report further stresses the critical importance of international donors' active participation in mitigating mine clearance problems in Azerbaijan. Khaliq Zulfugarov, the head of operations for the Mine Action Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan (ANAMA), also spoke about the mine clearance efforts currently underway across the country.
Elnur Gasimov, the head of the ANAMA quality control department, provided a detailed overview of the organization's humanitarian mine clearance activities, underscoring the pivotal role of demining in the country’s restoration and reconstruction efforts. He also pointed out the extensive experience ANAMA has gained in this field, highlighting the application of new technologies, modern equipment, and advanced approaches during the mine clearance operations.
The report also focuses on the restoration and reconstruction projects carried out in Aghdam and Shusha. The journalist mentioned that buildings that fell into disrepair and were destroyed during the occupation are being restored, with new infrastructure projects being implemented, and Shusha and Aghdam being turned into construction sites.
In an interview with the Italian journalist, Hikmet Hajiyev, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan - Head of the Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration, stated that Aghdam, which was razed to the ground during the military aggression that began after the collapse of the USSR and the occupation that lasted for nearly three decades, is now known as the “Hiroshima of the Caucasus.”
The Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan also stated that following the end of the military conflict, it was Azerbaijan that, despite its prior occupation, offered peace to Armenia.
Hikmet Hajiyev also stressed the strategic significance of the activities of Italian companies in the liberated territories, noting that their involvement serves as a gateway for expansion into Central Asia. He emphasized that the Italian company “Leonardo” has already expanded its operations in the Caspian region, establishing partnerships with Central Asian nations by developing new markets.
The report also provides information about several restored sites in Shusha, the cultural capital of Azerbaijan, including the Shusha Fortress, the Mausoleum of Molla Panah Vagif, the Yukhari Govhar Aga Mosque, and the Isa Spring, as well as the Fuzuli International Airport, which is known as the air gateway of Karabakh.
Ismayil Ismayilov, an employee of the Special Representation of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Shusha, highlighted the progress of “Great Return” Program, providing information about the hotels and guesthouses constructed in the city.
Additionally, Italian Ambassador Luca Di Gianfrancesco noted that Azerbaijan is Italy's main supplier of oil and natural gas, highlighting the importance of the State Oil Fund of the Republic of Azerbaijan – SOFAZ’s investment in renewable energy projects in Italy.
