Turkey starts mine clearance in areas adjacent to Armenia and Iran

Turkey plans to deploy modern control systems at the border with Armenia and Iran with the financial assistance of the EU, Ermenihaber.am reported.

According to Aksam newspaper (Turkey), mine clearance has begun in Turkey’s western border zones. The work is coordinated by the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces and Turkey’s Interior Ministry. There were about a million mines in all mine-strewn territories of Turkey as of 2009, a report by Turkey without Mines initiative said.

The program will be implemented in two stages:

1. Mine clearance on mined territories adjacent to Armenia and Iran (an area of 11,665,641 square meters).

2. Deployment of modern control systems in the border zones for efficient prevention of illegal migration and smuggling.

The program’s cost is 52 million 450 thousand euros. The EU is expected to pay 75% of that sum, and the rest will be paid by Turkish Defense Ministry.

Taking into account the mine clearance in the territories bordering Armenia and asphalt work and the extension of the road at Alican checkpoint, Aksam paper wonders if this means the border’s opening in the near future.