[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”on” admin_label=”Header Section” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_color=”#000000″ custom_padding=”|||” bottom_divider_style=”slant2″ bottom_divider_color=”#f8f8f8″ bottom_divider_height=”50px” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_fullwidth_header title=”Clearing the killing Fields” text_orientation=”center” background_overlay_color=”rgba(0,0,0,0.4)” content_max_width_last_edited=”off|desktop” admin_label=”Contents” _builder_version=”4.16″ title_font=”Oswald|||on|||||” title_text_align=”left” title_font_size=”45px” title_letter_spacing=”0.05em” title_line_height=”1.5em” content_font=”Merriweather||||||||” content_font_size=”19px” subhead_font=”Oswald||||||||” subhead_text_align=”left” subhead_font_size=”20px” subhead_line_height=”1.9em” background_color=”rgba(255, 255, 255, 0)” background_image=”https:\/\/onnik-krikorian.com\/new_site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/HALO-0012-1.jpg” parallax=”on” parallax_method=”on” custom_button_one=”on” button_one_text_size=”15px” button_one_bg_color=”#dca57d” button_one_border_width=”10px” button_one_border_color=”#dca57d” button_one_border_radius=”0px” button_one_letter_spacing=”3px” button_one_font=”Oswald|||on|” button_one_use_icon=”off” max_height=”500px” custom_margin=”|||” custom_padding=”10%||5%||false|false” title_font_size_tablet=”60px” title_font_size_phone=”40px” title_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” custom_css_title=”padding-top:10%” button_one_border_color_hover=”#c99872″ button_one_border_radius_hover=”0px” button_one_letter_spacing_hover=”3px” button_one_bg_color_hover=”#c99872″ global_colors_info=”{}” button_one_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_color__hover_enabled=”on” button_one_border_color__hover=”#c99872″ button_two_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_radius__hover_enabled=”on” button_one_border_radius__hover=”0px” button_two_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”on” button_one_letter_spacing__hover=”3px” button_two_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_bg_color__hover_enabled=”on” button_one_bg_color__hover=”#c99872″ button_two_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off”][\/et_pb_fullwidth_header][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”Blog Section” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_color=”#f8f8f8″ custom_padding=”100px|0px|100px|0px|true|” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Merriweather||||||||” header_font=”Oswald||||||||” header_font_size=”26px” header_line_height=”2em” custom_margin=”-85px||||false|false” custom_padding=”0px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Text and photographs by Onnik James Krikorian<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n GYULABLY, Armenian-controlled Azerbaijan \u2014 A few kilometers from the border of the unrecognized breakaway and self-declared Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, a shepherd sits with his grazing cattle in the lush pastures of Armenian-controlled Azerbaijan. The scene could grace the front of any postcard from the scenic Caucasus.\u00a0The twisted carcasses<\/span> of rusting vehicles along the roadside tell a different story, though.<\/p>\n The shepherd is sitting in a minefield.<\/p>\n A blast resonates in the distance as a newly discovered, booby- trapped TM-57 anti-tank mine is detonated, but it doesn\u2019t seem to rattle the shepherd or his herd. Along the road, a mine- clearance team from the HALO Trust has already uncovered 17 anti-personnel and three anti-tank mines.<\/p>\n \n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”-50px||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/onnik-krikorian.com\/new_site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/1VWZxfQyf6Y41RqH7r4X2og-2.jpeg” alt=”Landmine and UXO detonation” title_text=”1*VWZxfQyf6Y41RqH7r4X2og” show_in_lightbox=”on” force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n \n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Armen Harutyunian, assistant operations manager for the British charity, says that as many as 200 mines still remain in an area covering just 500 square meters. Ten years have passed since an armistice brought peace to Nagorno-Karabakh, the largely Armenian-populated territory in Azerbaijan that demanded unification with Armenia, sparking a war that claimed more than 25,000 lives. Since the 1994 ceasefire, however, the HALO Trust estimates that incidents with landmines and unexploded ordinance (UXO) have caused more than 900 deaths and injuries.<\/p>\n \n \n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n And while that may sound insignificant compared to the thousands who have died as a result of landmines in other war zones, there is concern that casualty figures will increase over time. Continual shifts in the front line have left the land littered with minefields and UXO.<\/p>\n Although the HALO Trust initially started work in Karabakh in 1995, it wasn\u2019t until five years later that it started to clear the disputed territory of UXO. Delayed by the need to map out locations, the charity finally started the work of clearing mines in late 2001 after international donor organizations such as USAID provided financial support.<\/p>\n The number of civilian personnel jumped from 28 to 133 \u2014 including three Battle Area Clearance [BAC] teams, two survey teams, and three teams of mine-clearers \u2014 and the Trust bought dozens of new vehicles, including ambulances, trucks, and a large armored tractor that can literally roll over mines that can\u2019t be cleared manually.<\/p>\n But even though the harsh winter slowed down their work, the organization managed to destroy over 250 mines during the first few months of 2002, says Shane Pritchard, Program Manager for the HALO Trust in Karabakh. \u201cThere aren\u2019t mines everywhere but it\u2019s obvious that there are likely to be many in areas where fighting took place,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are also mines in a number of \u2018green areas\u2019 that were formerly Azeri villages in between Karabakh and the frontline which are now being resettled [by Armenians]. We can remove the threat before people hurt themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” width=”100%” max_width=”2560px” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/onnik-krikorian.com\/new_site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/1T-2KHQdTjKh-abvE-ykTpA.jpeg” alt=”Landmines” title_text=”1*T-2KHQdTjKh-abvE-ykTpA” force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”-25px||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Askeran, Nagorno Karabakh \u00a9 Onnik James Krikorian 2002<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”-50px||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Beyond the threat they pose to human life, landmines and UXO damage people\u2019s livelihood. Between the towns of Askeran and Aghdam, the discovery of a minefield has frustrated plans to construct a water pipeline to the nearby village of Khrmort and the HALO Trust has been called in to clear the area. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, 50 million square meters of arable land and more than 80,000 square meters of vineyards are unusable.<\/p>\n Much of this land used to be among the most fertile acreage in the self-declared republic, but now, much of it has turned fallow. In all, 150 million square meters of land, roads, and forests need to be surveyed for mine clearance operations in Karabakh.<\/p>\n Mels Hakobjanian, head of the Mine Awareness Working Group (MAWG), which coordinates mine and UXO activities for the Nagorno-Karabakh government, agrees that the problem is serious. The map on his desk identifies regional centers such as Askeran, Mardakert, Martuni, and Hadrout as most at risk, but these are only the areas authorities know about.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are over 15,000 hectares of minefields in Karabakh,\u201d <\/em>Hakobjanian says from his dilapidated government office overlooking the central square in the self-declared republic\u2019s capital, Stepanakert. \u201cOnly 500 hectares have been cleared and it is very difficult to figure out where the rest of the mines are,\u201d he continues. \u201cEven around Shushi, which is supposed to be clear, a car was recently blown up by an anti-tank mine.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” width=”100%” max_width=”2560px” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/onnik-krikorian.com\/new_site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/1jwa7T3u7DR_iZXWgtLA7HQ.jpeg” alt=”Unexploded Ordnance (UXO)” title_text=”1*jwa7T3u7DR_iZXWgtLA7HQ” force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n HALO Trust Battle Area Clearance, Fizuli, Armenian-controlled Azerbaijan \u00a9 Onnik James Krikorian 2002<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n In November 2001, two Soviet-made cluster bombs were discovered in Stepanakert and quickly disposed of. Hundreds of these fragmentation devices have been found in the capital since 1994 and the HALO Trust estimates that least 10,000 mines laid by both sides require urgent attention if accidents are to be prevented in the future.<\/p>\n Largely due to the clearance work of the HALO Trust \u2014 as well as information campaigns run by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) \u2014 casualties from incidents involving landmines and UXO have been steadily decreasing. In 1995, soon after the cease-fire agreement, there were 64 landmine casualties; in 1999, 30 people \u2014 over half of them children \u2014 were injured or killed. In 2002, casualties declined further: 14 injured and four deaths \u2014 none of them children.<\/p>\n Our educational program targets 228 schools and an estimated 22,000 children in Karabakh, as well as Lachin and Kelbajar,\u201d says Christopher Mehley, head of the ICRC office in Stepanakert. \u201cIn conjunction with the Ministry of Education, mine awareness is now integrated into the school curriculum and the effectiveness of this program has been clearly demonstrated.\u201d<\/p>\n Still, those engaged in mine clearance are clearly running a race against time. The relatively low number of casualties is as much tied to the area\u2019s small size but with plans to increase the population of Karabakh to 300,000 by 2010 that may all change. \u201cA peace deal will be signed one day,\u201d adds Simon Porter, former program manager for the HALO Trust in Nagorno Karabakh, \u201cand we are in the perfect situation to tackle the problem sooner rather than later. Otherwise, there will be significant problems when villagers attempt to farm their land, or when refugees and Internally Displaced People [IDPs] return to their homes.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” width=”100%” max_width=”2560px” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/onnik-krikorian.com\/new_site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/1bxiWEvsEH5K39DYOj62kFw.jpeg” alt=”Injury” title_text=”1*bxiWEvsEH5K39DYOj62kFw” force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Armine, Ptghavan, Armenia \u00a9 Onnik James Krikorian 2002<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n In the first of six operations to save her upper arm, the bone in Armine\u2019s elbow was removed. The ten-year-old hadn\u2019t even been born when conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan broke out over Nagorno Karabakh and had barely turned two by the time an armistice was signed in 1994. Nevertheless, one year after the ceasefire, the conflict claimed another victim. Armine however, doesn\u2019t want to talk about it.<\/p>\n Her mother though, says that when a group of civilians ran into a landmine in an attempt to escape cross-border gunfire, Armine was caught in the blast. Shrapnel from the explosion ripped through her right arm and across her chest, scarring and disabling her for life.<\/p>\n She still suffers from nervous anxieties and depression today. Tim Straight, Head of the Norwegian Refugee Council in Armenia, stumbled upon Armine three years ago. \u201cIf she doesn\u2019t get proper examination and a plan for treatment soon, her muscles which are functioning minimally now, will wither and her arm may have to be amputated,\u201d he says. \u201cThis means she will never marry or attain any social status. This is a catastrophe for her whole life.\u201d<\/p>\n But while the concern is genuine, the issue is more than just that of one little girl living in a remote corner of Armenia. According to official statistics, over 70,000 people, including an undetermined number of refugees, have been displaced from the border as a result of the war. Although Nagorno Karabakh might seem a world away from the idyllic forests of Tavoush in north eastern Armenia, local residents nevertheless paid a price.<\/p>\n Whole villages situated along the Armenian border were reduced to rubble by incessant shelling and landmines situated along the 900 kilometer border with Azerbaijan have resulted in over seventy casualties in the Tavoush region alone. Eighteen people have been killed and eleven wounded by incidents with landmines in the Ararat region.<\/p>\n Further south in Siunik, there have been over thirty deaths and forty-four injuries since 1994. The Armenian military conducted partial mine clearance in the region until 1999 when material and technical resources ran out.<\/p>\n Because those displaced by cross-border skirmishes, landmines and poor socio-economic conditions have found temporary accommodation in nearby villages, the low visibility of the problem has manifested itself as a lack of attention. The Representative of the United Nations Secretary General for Internally Displaced People (IDPs), Dr. Francis Deng, highlighted those concerns when he visited Armenia in May 2000.<\/p>\n \n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”-50px||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/onnik-krikorian.com\/new_site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/11WMhrrJZ6U2-RElRYNPvYQ.jpeg” alt=”IDP child” title_text=”1*1WMhrrJZ6U2-RElRYNPvYQ” show_in_lightbox=”on” force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n IDP child, Berd, Armenia \u00a9 Onnik James Krikorian 2004<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Gagik Yeganian, Head of the State Department for Migration and Refugees, says that for the past two years, authorities have started to take the matter seriously. \u201cOn 14 December 2000, a plan for the Post Conflict Rehabilitation of the Bordering Territories of the Republic of Armenia was approved by the Government,\u201d<\/span><\/em>he says. More than 23,000 houses, 78 education centers, 62 medical centers, 512km of potable and 724km of irrigation pipes, and 575km of roads were damaged by cross- border shelling and the total cost to rehabilitate the border is estimated at over $80 million. Under the Government initiative, an estimated 39,000 people will return to their homes and conditions for <\/span>28,000 who have returned already will be improved.<\/span><\/p>\n However, the regional authorities estimate that as much as 9,000 hectares of Tavoush is mined, fuelling concerns that the landmine problem in Armenia is greater than many realize. According to Jemma Hasratian of the Armenian National Committee of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL), it is difficult to fully estimate the extent of the problem given that both regular and irregular forces were responsible for laying mines and few accurate maps exist. \u201cNobody knows how many mines there are,\u201d she says, \u201cbut we\u2019re working with the figure of 50,000.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” width=”100%” max_width=”2560px” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/onnik-krikorian.com\/new_site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/HALO-0012.jpg” alt=”Injury” title_text=”1*Gb-iz8sHhTxFVUPqbdM–w” force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/onnik-krikorian.com\/new_site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/1Gb-iz8sHhTxFVUPqbdM-w-1.jpeg” alt=”Injury” title_text=”1*Gb-iz8sHhTxFVUPqbdM–w” force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n HALO Trust Landmine Clearance, Askeran, Nagorno Karabakh \u00a9 Onnik James Krikorian 2002<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Although Armenia and Azerbaijan were prevented from receiving US military assistance while the dispute over Nagorno Karabakh remained unresolved, the embargo was officially lifted on 29 March 2002 after both countries offered their assistance to the United States following the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington.<\/p>\n On 16 March 2002, a US-financed demining center to train military personal opened in Etchmiadzin, twenty minutes from the Armenian capital. Lieutenant-Colonel Eric von Tersch, military attache at the US Embassy in Yerevan, however, says that the center would have opened regardless of the war in Afghanistan and heightened American interest in the Caucasus and Central Asia.<\/p>\n A year and a half earlier, Armenian, Azerbaijani and Georgian soldiers had already simultaneously trained in humanitarian mine clearance at a military base in neighbouring Georgia under the \u201cBeecroft Initiative,\u201d a confidence and security building measure aimed at preventing injuries and deaths from landmines in the south Caucasus.<\/p>\n We really had the parameters of this going before the attacks,\u201d explains von Tersch. \u201cWhat 9\/11 did was show that there was a common interest here and in the United States. Our common goals became much more obvious after 11 September and there was an increased level of trust on both sides. There was simply greater momentum.\u201d<\/p>\n US military assistance totaling $4.3 million was allocated to the Armenian Government after sanctions against Azerbaijan were suspended but the cost of the demining center was financed separately. Training is facilitated through the RONCO Consulting Corporation and the US military.<\/p>\n Start-up and operating costs for the first year of operation stood at $2.1 million. Eighty conscript soldiers man the base and receive an additional stipend of $10 a month on top of their $3 a month salaries. Lloyd Carpenter, one of RONCO\u2019s staff members in Armenia, says that eventually, the demining center should become self-sustainable through contributions from the international donor community and the Armenian Diaspora.<\/p>\n Although Armenia has not acceded to the International Mine Ban Treaty while the conflict over Nagorno Karabagh remains unresolved, the Government has nonetheless started to gather information on the arable and pasture land, orchards, and woodland affected. Von Tersch, however, is keen to stress that the main priority for the demining center will be the safety of civilians in mine-affected areas.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause it\u2019s a sensitive issue, it\u2019s not our intention to push anyone into demining defensive positions,\u201d he says. \u201cWe are concerned with humanitarian demining and are working with the military to develop the capacity to go into civilian areas in cooperation with the regional authorities to pull those mines out.\u201d<\/p>\n \n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n \n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][dsm_text_divider header=”LATEST BLOG POSTS” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/dsm_text_divider][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_blog fullwidth=”off” posts_number=”3″ include_categories=”all” show_author=”off” show_categories=”off” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” header_font_size=”22px” body_font=”||||||||” body_font_size=”15px” meta_font_size=”15px” pagination_font=”Oswald|||on|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_blog][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” top_divider_style=”arrow2″ top_divider_color=”#ffffff” top_divider_flip=”vertical” bottom_divider_color=”#ffffff” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_fullwidth_slider show_arrows=”off” show_pagination=”off” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” header_font=”Oswald|600|||||||” body_font_size=”50px” min_height=”40%” height=”100%” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_slide heading=” ” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”RGBA(0,0,0,0)” background_enable_color=”on” background_image=”https:\/\/onnik-krikorian.com\/new_site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/IMG004.jpg” background_enable_image=”on” parallax=”on” width=”80%” global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_transition=”on”][\/et_pb_slide][\/et_pb_fullwidth_slider][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" GYULABLY, Armenian-controlled Azerbaijan \u2014 A few kilometers from the border of the unrecognized breakaway and self-declared Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, a shepherd sits with his grazing cattle in the lush pastures of Armenian-controlled Azerbaijan. The scene could grace the front of any postcard from the scenic Caucasus.\u00a0The twisted carcasses of rusting vehicles along the roadside tell a different story, though.No Man\u2019s Land<\/h1>\n
Mine Awareness<\/h1>\n
All Quiet on the Eastern Front<\/h1>\n
Rehabilitation of the Border Regions<\/h1>\n
Mine Clearance<\/h1>\n
First published by Transitions Online, 2002. Amended\u00a0with a section on Armenia in Armenia: Poverty, Transition, and Democracy, 2004<\/i><\/div>\n
\nThe shepherd is sitting in a minefield.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1027,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","twitterCardType":"","cardImageID":0,"cardImage":"","cardTitle":"","cardDesc":"","cardImageAlt":"","cardPlayer":"","cardPlayerWidth":0,"cardPlayerHeight":0,"cardPlayerStream":"","cardPlayerCodec":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1026","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\n