The delegation led by Vugar Suleymanov, Chairman of the Board of the Mine Action Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan, is on a business trip to the People's Republic of China from March 9 to 13, 2026.

The purpose of the visit is to establish direct contacts with the Arms Control Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, and to hold meetings at the respective Ministry, Peoples Liberation Army Engineering University, and several Chinese companies specializing in the production of mine clearance equipment.

The first meeting within the framework of the visit was held with Sun Xiaobo, Director General of the Arms Control Department of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Bunyad Huseynov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the People's Republic of China also attended the meeting.

During the meeting, the parties discussed the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding on Strengthening Cooperation in the Field of Humanitarian Demining signed between the Mine Action Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan (ANAMA) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China as well as other issues related to cooperation. The memorandum was signed in Beijing within the framework of the Joint Statement on the Establishment of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the People’s Republic of China, which was signed by the leaders of the two countries during the state visit of Mr. Ilham Aliyev, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan to China on 23 April 2025.

Director General Sun Xiaobo noted that the signed document is an important stage in the development of relations between the two countries. He stated that humanitarian demining activities play an important role in the post-war recovery and reconstruction process of Azerbaijan. He also emphasized that the Chinese side is interested in supporting Azerbaijan's demining efforts and further expanding cooperation in this field in the future.

Vugar Suleymanov expressed his gratitude for China’s contribution to mine clearance activities in our country and noted that this step is an indicator of the solidarity by a friendly country in Azerbaijan's important humanitarian mission.

As part of this visit, the Azerbaijani delegation visited NORINCO (China North Industries Group Corporation), the exhibition center of the Chinese state-owned defense industrial complex and then held a extended meeting with the participation of the company's management.

Various equipment manufactured in the field of mine clearance, including mechanical mine clearance machines, robots used for explosive ordnance disposal, mine detection drones, and other technological solutions, were demonstrated at the exhibition center. The company's specialists provided extensive information on the technical specifications and application capabilities of the presented equipment and answered the questions of the Azerbaijani delegation.

Visits to such exhibitions provide an opportunity to explore best practices and apply innovative approaches in the field of mine action.

During the meeting, it was emphasized that this visit represents an important initial step toward establishing cooperation between the parties and exploring future partnership opportunities.

The visit will also have a positive impact on informing the China and local companies operating there about the landmine problem facing Azerbaijan and the measures implemented by our state to eliminate it, thereby increasing international attention to the problem.