Azernews.Az

Abbas Ganbay

Read more

In addition to the ongoing attempts of provocations by Armenia, mining companies are polluting, poisoning the land and causing serious threat to all beings and environment in the territory of Azerbaijan.

In the appeal of "Civil Societies" operating in Azerbaijan, it is stated that the attention of the United Nations and international communities should be paid to the environmental disasters committed by the Republic of Armenia, which have a regional and global impact on the Earth's ecosystem.

"Together with a group of civil society activists, we mentioned in our appeal that the lives of millions of people are in danger, including the environment. Because, here the Republic of Armenia has recently intensified environmental terrorism, which has been going on for many years," Parvana Valiyeva, a member of the Public Association "Service to Health", said in a comment for AZERNEWS.

The Zangazur copper and molybdenum combined in Gajaran and the mining complex in Gafan (Armenia) discharges mining wastes containing heavy metals into the Okchuchay and Araz rivers, which flow across the borders of Iran and Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan, based on evidence and confirmed facts, has decided to bring the crimes of environmental disasters caused by Armenia to the attention of the public and the world community, and to this end, according to Valiyeva, they have issued this urgent statement, a call for international defence.

"International institutions, in their turn, using their powers and mandates, can intervene in this new issue, react adequately and even a technical inspection mission can be organised," the expert added.

Armenia's mining operations in the border areas of Azerbaijan have led to the degradation of the ecosystem, posing a significant threat not only to Armenia's environment but also to neighbouring countries. The environmental damage caused by the mining operations has a transboundary impact, jeopardising the health and well-being of the population both in the region and beyond.

"We have been informed about the gross violation of UN conventions, such as the 1991 ESSPO Convention on Transboundary Rivers and the Environmental Assessment of Transboundary Context. Armenia, without the consent of the Azerbaijani side, is constructing a metallurgical plant near the borders with Azerbaijan and Turkiye, and concerning its pollution near the Araz river, this causes a risk not only Azerbaijan but for Iran,"- P. Valiyeva said.

The truth is that the prospect of dumping this waste into the Araz River raises concerns about the impact on wildlife, rivers, and the vast farms that depend on Araz water for irrigation. The appeal also says that Armenia is currently receiving grants from the European Union under the EU4Environment: Green Economy in Eastern Partnership countries programme to develop green industry.

"We appeal to the European Union to ensure that this funding is used for its intended purpose and not for activities that lead to the destruction of nature and environmental imbalance in the region," the appeal says.

Armenia violates international environmental norms and standards, as well as many UN environmental assessment conventions to which it is a signatory, including the UN Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes, the Water and Health Protocol, the Basel Convention of the UN Economic Commission for Europe on the Control of Transboundary Movements and Disposal of Hazardous Wastes, the UN Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution, and the UN Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment.

Moreover, so far 29 civil society members representing several organisation have signed an appeal to the UN.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz