Azernews.Az

By Trend

Armenia spreads fake information in connection with Azerbaijan's Lachin road, an employee of the ‘Ecosphere’ Socio-Ecological Center Zhalia Ismayilova said on December 21 at the peaceful protest rally [near Shusha] in the zone of temporary responsibility of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Karabakh, Trend reports from the scene.

"Representatives of our organization have been here since the first day. For the tenth day now, we have been watching humanitarian aid vehicles, supply vehicles and ambulances pass by,” Ismayilova noted.

“We are concerned that our protest against illegal exploitation of natural resources is misrepresented. Armenia is trying to create an atmosphere of a ‘humanitarian catastrophe’, but once again I would like to note that the rally is peaceful, and there is no ‘blockade’, she also said.

The rally participant pointed out that the protesters continue to demand the cessation of illegal economic activities and illegal exploitation of Azerbaijan’s natural resources.

"We should be able to conduct independent monitoring in our territories, since we are at home," Ismayilova added.

The protest is being held against the inadmissibility of Azerbaijani specialists to the territory, to monitor the illegal exploitation of Azerbaijan's resources by Armenians.

Previously, following the negotiations with the Russian peacekeepers' command on December 3 and 7, 2022, a group of experts from the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, the State Property Service under the Ministry of Economy, and AzerGold CJSC on December 10, was going to begin the preliminary monitoring in accordance with the illegal exploitation of mineral deposits, as well as the emerging environmental and other consequences of this on the territory of Azerbaijan.

It was planned to inspect the environmental conditions at the 'Gizilbulagh' gold deposit and the 'Damirli' copper-molybdenum deposit, monitor various areas, organize cadastral property records, assess potential risks and threats to the environment, as well as to underground and surface water sources.

However, despite the group's arrival, accompanied by Russian peacekeepers, in the monitoring area, it faced provocations. The planned initial inspection and monitoring did not take place due to the fact that the Russian peacekeepers not only did not create necessary conditions but also prevented for the entire process to carry on.

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