"Mining should not be the responsibility of the countries that suffer from it. Other countries, the international community, and the opposite side should share responsibility and help the land that is suffering from mine."

The EPA reports that former Croatian President Stepan Mesic said this during an international conference on "Fighting Mines - The Road to Sustainable Development Goals" in Baku.

He has stressed that civilians are seriously suffering from the mines.

He has reported on his country's process of fighting and cleaning mines. "The mining process in Croatia is still ongoing. The main reason for this is the lack of mine maps in our hands. Mining should not be solely the responsibility of countries that suffer from it. Other countries, the international community, the opposite side, should share responsibility on this issue, help the land suffering from mines, and help the victim country in mining and structural work. We have a responsibility to future generations, so we need to fight not only for mining and mines but also for peace and cooperation, not war, conflict."

Speaking on the panel, Germany's permanent representative at the Disarmament Conference, Ambassador Thomas Gobel, stressed the importance of the Ottawa Convention.

He has said the Convention is also one of the key mechanisms for achieving sustainable development goals, especially to reach a world free of mines.

"Anti-pedestrian mines pose serious challenges and threats to people's lives. Preventing the spread of anti-infantry mines will guarantee the safety of people, future generations," he said.