Azerbaijan II (Jeyranchel Clearance Project)

The former Soviet Army military test and training range at Jeyranchel in Azerbaijan was in active use over the period 1955-1991. Unexploded ordnances (UXO) and mines remaining in the area present a serious humanitarian, socio-economic and environmental threat to the local population. The project aims at the clearance of this area.
The key reasons for this project are:

1. Make the area safe for local farmers and the State Border Service border patrols;
2. Open up the area for Local Authority development, principally for agriculture;
3. Access to the nationally important archaeological and historic sites in the area;
4. Some of the UXO and mines will become increasingly unstable and ultimately more dif cult to recover – it is necessary to clear the area of hazard;
5. Unguarded explosives in the vicinity of the strategically important international oil and gas pipelines present a potential security threat;

Status:Third and final phase has now successfully completed.
In August 2017, all EOD teams were redeployed to other clearance activities due to a national priority. Teams returned on site in January 2018 and were augmented, allowing the project to complete on time at the end of May 2018.
The Lead Nation and donors agreed to use the approx. 60,000 EUR of contingency funds to replace some mechanical equipment for use by ANAMA on future projects. Delivery of two back-hoe tractors is expected by the end of April 2019 thus allowing the project to formally close.
Work is ongoing to generate a project proposal for the EOD Clearance of a partially exploded ammunition depot at Khizi, north of Baku in Azerbaijan. The proposal should be completed in February 2019.

Duration: Phase 1 launched in October 2011, implementation March 2012 - June 2014. Phase 2 launched in November 2013, implementation July 2014 - July 2016.
For Phase 3, operational clearance continued during interim period September 2016 - March 2017, until Phase 3 could be formally started in April 2017. Phase 3 was completed on time in early summer 2018.

Donors