Heidi Kuhn's visit to Azerbaijan ended - PHOTOS

Heidi Kuhn, founder and CEO of Roots of Peace, a humanitarian non-profit organisation, paid an official visit to Azerbaijan on March 1-5 at the invitation of the International Eurasia Press Fund (IEPF) and with the support of ANAMA.

The aim was to get acquainted with the mine problems in the country, to bring them to the attention of the international community and to support the transformation of mine-contaminated areas into arable land.

On the first day of her visit, Heidi Kuhn visited the IEPF headquarters. 

President of the organisation Umud Mirzayev, Chairman of the Supervisory Board Akif Musayev, ANAMA Deputy Chairman Samir Poladov and IEPF staff met her at the office. Besides that, Heidi Kuhn visited the office of the Mine Action Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan. A presentation was made on the history of ANAMA, its humanitarian demining activities, the existing mine risk in the liberated areas, as well as assistance to mine victims and mine risk education. Heidi Kuhn said that she intends to join forces in the fight against mines and support the elimination of the threat of explosive ordnances by working purposefully in this area.

On the first day of her visit, Heidi Kuhn also visited the Heydar Aliyev Centre and the Nizami Ganjavi International Centre.

On March 2, Heidi Kuhn travelled the Shamakhi region, one of the viticultural cities of Azerbaijan, which has a long tradition of winemaking. At the meeting with the administration of the region, extensive discussions were held on the importance of informing the international community about the history of wine production in Azerbaijan.

On March 3, the founder of the "Roots of Peace" organisation accompanied by IEPF President Umud Mirzayev, visited Tartar and Aghdam regions. During the visit, Heidi Kuhn visited the mine-contaminated areas in Tartar. She was met here by ANAMA Board Chairman Vugar Suleymanov and Presidential Administration official Sultan Hajiyev. They were informed about both the threat of mines and unexploded ordnance in the areas of military operations. They also got acquainted with the operations carried out by the IEPF community mine action team in Chayli village of Tartar region. Afterwards, Ms. Kuhn met at the IEPF Vocational Training Centre (VTC). She got acquainted with the activities of the vocational school. Here, Heidi Kuhn met with mine and war victims and representatives of the Association of Rural Women Entrepreneurs.

During the visit, the head of "Roots of Peace" planted a symbolic tree together with the chairman of the ANAMA Board Vugar Suleymanov and the President of the International Eurasia Press Fund Umud Mirzayev.

She was very moved by the sights she saw in Aghdam and Tartar, in the settlements, cities and infrastructure, as well as in the ruined agricultural areas and vineyards.

Heidi Kuhn also got acquainted with the new construction project of Aghdam city in the Karabakh representation office. 

Moreover, she visited the tomb of Khurshudbanu Natavan and Panahali khan in the Imarat cemetery in Aghdam. The scene she saw there - the destroyed graves - terrified Heidi Kuhn. In front of the grave of 12-year-old Sakhavat in Aghdam, Heidi Kuhn promised to mobilise all her activities and opportunities for the restoration of these lands. When she saw all this destruction, she used the phrase "Forgive me" several times.