KIEV, May 21 (NNN-UNIAN) – The work on clearing the territory of Ukraine from the landmines scattered during the conflict with Russia would take between five and seven years, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported yesterday, citing a senior Ukrainian official.
About 300,000 square metres of Ukrainian territory are littered with remnants of war, Ukraine’s Deputy Interior Minister, Mary Akopyan, said, at the first meeting of the International Coordination Centre for Humanitarian Demining of Ukraine.
Ukraine is working with the international community to make the process of clearing its territory from landmines more efficient, Akopyan said.
In particular, Kiev is in talks with its foreign partners on deploying a mine-clearing mission in Ukraine, she added.
Meanwhile, deputy head of the Ukrainian President’s Office, Ihor Zhovkva, who also participated in the meeting, said that, Ukraine expects France, Canada, Finland, Switzerland, Sweden, the Czech Republic and other countries would support Ukraine’s mine-clearing efforts.– NNN-UNIAN
