On October 4, the president of the International Eurasia Press Fund (IEPF), Umud Mirzayev, met with Phillip Tissue, politicl officer at the U.S. Embassy in Baku, and Angelina Allen-Mpyisi, head of the management and economic sustainability department of the US Agency for International Development (USAID). First, U. Mirzayev greeted the guests at the IEPF's head office. Then, he informed the guests about the 30-year activity of the Fund and the projects implemented by the organisation in the region. Later, the parties discussed the prospects of future cooperation.

According to Ednews, in the course of the conversation, U.Mirzayev spoke to the US officials about how the the lands have been contaminated by mines, which is also the biggest problem and lasting threat for the country.

Phillip Tissue, political officer of the US Embassy in Azerbaijan, expressed his concern about having more information before he informs his country in this direction.

Having spoken about the current situation, Umud Mirzayev informed the guests that Armenian separatists have continued to plant mines in the territories of Azerbaijan since the end of the war in November 2020.

"The conflict must end, but the newly planted mines mean the continuation of the direct war. I would like to mention that 6 people have been victims of mines in the last week. Two of them died, one of them was a minor. People want to return to their ancestral lands that have been freed from occupation. In this case, the greatest danger is the landmine problem.

Umud Mirzayev also spoke of the disinformation spread about Azerbaijan since the first day of the Karabakh conflict.

"Today, what Azerbaijan is the most interested in is the recognition of its borders by Armenia. However, the provocations committed by Armenians near our borders are conveyed to the world in a different way. Azerbaijan immediately faces pressure from many countries. This happens as a result of false information about the events. Provocations started at the border are always carried out by Armenians. Because Armenians do not want to recognize the territories of Azerbaijan according to international law. If a peace agreement is signed, the return of people and the clearing of mines will be accelerated. After that, people will also get used to living together. As this process slows down, it creates confidence in revanchist forces that they will re-occupy the lands of Azerbaijan.

During the conversation, F.Tisyu was closely interested in information about the landmine issues, including the history of the Karabakh conflict, the psychological trauma caused by explosives to the population of Azerbaijan, the state support provided to the victims, and the life stories of the wounded.

At the end of the meeting, Angelina Allen-Mpyisi, head of the management and economic stability department of the USAID, joined the discussions.

Moreover, the US officials met with Rey Karimoglu, the chairman of the Azerbaijan Mine Victims Association, a public union in which IEPF has directly played a major role, and the victims of landmines in the Karabakh region.

Translated by Elnur Enveroglu