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Foreign Minister Baerbock on International Mine Awareness Day

04.04.2023 - Press release

Anti-personnel mines are cruel weapons. They are the reason why mothers and fathers in countries like Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia and Iraq, even decades after conflicts have ended, must fear for the safety of their children when they go out to play. Civilians are most frequently the victims of anti-personnel mines, which then quite literally tear families and societies apart. That is why, during our Presidency of the Ottawa Convention, we are working towards a mine‑free world, and it is also why Germany is the second-largest donor worldwide for humanitarian mine clearance. I therefore call on Russia to finally stop its ruthless and widespread use of landmines on agricultural land in Ukraine. This not only claims numerous civilian victims, but also prevents many farmers from tilling and tending their fields and harvesting crops. Russia is thereby causing food shortages in the global marketplace, thus exacerbating hunger in the world.

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