Türkiye

The main focus of Türkiye’s 2021 interim Article 5 deadline extension request was to allow completion of non-technical survey (NTS), with the resulting estimate of contamination to form the basis for another request to extend Türkiye’s deadline and setting out plans to complete clearance. Türkiye completed the NTS project as planned in 2023 and, in March 2025, submitted its third extension request, with additional information also provided in July. In 2024, Türkiye continued to seek donor funding for implementation of Phase IV of its major Eastern Borders Mine Clearance Project (EBMCP), but with none secured as at August 2025. In July 2025 Türkiye stated that the outlook for land release activities in Mardin province, along the border with Syria—severely impeded due to insecurity—has improved. This is the result of the decision by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to lay down its arms and disband in May 2025, following a call from its leader to do so in February. The amount of land released through survey and clearance remained steady in 2024, compared to 2023. However, the number of anti-personnel (AP) mines destroyed decreased dramatically – from 33,443 in 2023 to 179 in 2024. Türkiye claims this decrease was due to it deploying only military (and not contracted civilian) capacity during 2024, as well as “material deterioration” of mines, originally laid in the 1950s, over time. These explanations alone do not appear to fully account for the difference in the number of AP mines discovered.

• Alongside extensive NTS and expectations of substantial cancellation of hazardous areas, Türkiye should increase capacity and accelerate clearance, which remains low.

• Türkiye should provide further details of its plans to address contamination in non-border areas.

• Türkiye’s obligations under the APMBC require it to implement and report on mine clearance in territory it controls in northern Cyprus. Türkiye likely also has an obligation under Article 5 of the APMBC to clear AP mines in Syria, since mined areas are thought to remain under its control in the north of the country. This is because Article 5
  of the Convention obligates every State Party to survey and clear all areas under its jurisdiction “or control”.The DMA should accelerate action to upgrade and update its Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) database and the resources supporting information management.

• Türkiye should elaborate a gender and diversity policy and implementation plan for the programme.

Click here to download the "Clearing the Mines 2025" report for Türkiye.