Azerbaijani NGOs and environmentalists held a protest in front of the Russian embassy

Azerbaijani NGO leaders and environmentalists sent an appeal to Andrey Volkov, commander of the Russian peacekeeping contingent temporarily stationed in the Karabakh economic region of Azerbaijan.

At the protest held in front of the Russian Embassy, the appeal submitted to the Russian Embassy in Azerbaijan expresses the serious concern about the aggravation of the environmental situation in the territories of Azerbaijan, where the Russian military contingent is temporarily deployed.

AZERTAC presents the appeal:

“We, ecologists and activists, are seriously concerned about the deterioration of the environmental situation in the territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan, where the peacekeeping contingent of the Russian Federation temporarily deployed.

Throughout 30 years of occupation of the territories of Azerbaijan by Armenia, environmental terrorism was committed against Azerbaijan in the Karabakh and Eastern Zangazur economic regions, and many mineral deposits were illegally exploited. Although the ecological situation in many of the deposits, which were illegally exploited and looted for many years, was brought under control following the liberation of the territories of Azerbaijan from the occupation of Armenia in 2020, the cases of illegal exploitation in the Gizilbulag gold and Damirli copper-molybdenum deposits in the territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan, where the peacekeeping contingent of the Russian Federation temporarily deployed, unfortunately continue.

By deteriorating the ecological situation, the illegal exploitation of mineral deposits has a negative impact on the civilian population, the environment, biodiversity, underground and surface water resources, as well as the ecological environment in other areas of Azerbaijan.

As numerous NGOs, which brings together the independent ecologists of Azerbaijan, we deem it necessary to assess the illegal exploitation cases and the ecological situation in the Gizilbulag gold and Damirli copper-molybdenum deposits in the territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan, where the peacekeeping contingent of the Russian Federation temporarily deployed. In this regard, we urge you to provide security for us to visit the mentioned areas and create the necessary conditions for us to conduct monitoring”.

Chairman of the Legal Analaysis and Research Public Union was among the protestors.

Signed by 23 NGO leaders