A delegation led by Vugar Suleymanov, Chairman of the Board of the Mine Action Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan (ANAMA), is on a working visit to the People's Republic of China from March 9 to 13.

The purpose of the visit is to establish direct contacts with the Arms Control Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China and to hold meetings at the relevant ministry, the People’s Liberation Army Engineering University, as well as several Chinese companies specializing in the production of mine clearance equipment.

The first meeting within the framework of the visit was held with Sun Xiaobo, Director General of the Arms Control Department of China’s Foreign Ministry. Bunyad Huseynov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Azerbaijan to China, also attended the meeting.

During the meeting, the parties discussed the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding on strengthening cooperation in the field of humanitarian demining signed between ANAMA and the Chinese Foreign Ministry, as well as other issues related to cooperation. The memorandum was signed in Beijing within the framework of the Joint Statement on the Establishment of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Azerbaijan and China, signed by the leaders of the two countries during the state visit of Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, to China on April 23, 2025.

Sun Xiaobo noted that the signed document represents an important stage in the development of relations between the two countries. He emphasized that humanitarian demining activities play a crucial role in Azerbaijan’s post-war recovery and reconstruction process and stated that the Chinese side is interested in supporting Azerbaijan’s demining efforts and further expanding cooperation in this field.

Vugar Suleymanov expressed gratitude for China’s contribution to mine clearance activities in Azerbaijan, noting that this step demonstrates the solidarity of a friendly country with Azerbaijan’s important humanitarian mission.

As part of the visit, the Azerbaijani delegation also visited NORINCO (China North Industries Group Corporation), the exhibition center of the Chinese state-owned defense industrial complex, where an extended meeting was held with the company’s management.

Various types of equipment produced for mine clearance were demonstrated at the exhibition center, including mechanical mine clearance machines, robots used for explosive ordnance disposal, mine detection drones, and other technological solutions. Company specialists provided detailed information on the technical specifications and applications of the equipment and answered questions from the Azerbaijani delegation.

The sides emphasized that the visit represents an important initial step toward establishing cooperation and exploring future partnership opportunities in the field of mine action.

The visit is also expected to contribute to raising awareness among Chinese institutions and companies about the landmine problem facing Azerbaijan and the measures implemented by the state to address it, thereby increasing international attention to the issue.