Turkey’s Landmines Still in Place

The Initiative for a Turkey without Mines has said that despite its promise to destroy its stock of landmines by 1 March, Turkey has not completed the operation.

Making a statement before the First International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action on 4 April, the initiative said that, still, every three days a person was wounded or killed by a landmine in Turkey.

"Mines do not recognise peace" 

The Ottawa Convention was negotiated ten years ago and ratified by Turkey in 2003. According to the convention, Turkey is supposed to have cleared all the landmines in the ground by 2014.

“Mines are weapons which do not recognise peace. Even if war ends and peace is declared, they continue to kill. For a permanent and lasting peace, mines need to be cleared.”

The initiative has announced that between 15 and 20 thousand people are wounded by land mines around the world every year.

Four million land mines... 

Between 1950-55 and 1984-94, 1 million mines were buried in Turkey. There are a further 3 million mines stored which need to be destroyed. (EÜ/AG)