(MENAFN- AzerNews) Since the early morning of December 12, representatives of the
Azerbaijani ecological and non-governmental organizations have been
picketing the Shusha section of the Khankandi-Lachin road in an
effort to make the Russian peacekeeping mission in the region to
ensure the secure monitoring by experts from Baku of natural
deposits in the area being illegally exploited by the local
separatists, Azernews reports.
After a march by a group of eco-activists to the venue was
prevented by the Russian peacekeepers, they started gathering
outside the Russian post near Shusha to demand the arrival of the
peacekeeping contingent's commander Andrei Volkov to the scene for
a meeting with the pickets.
The commander's failure to meet the protesters' demand compelled
the Azerbaijani eco-activists to continue with their picketing of
the venue until he meets the people on the scene. After almost a
day-long picketing of the road, no reports were available about the
arrival of the Russian commander at the scene to respond to the
legitimate concerns of the eco-activists and representatives of the
public.
New tents for the participants in the protest action were set up
on the Shusha-Khankandi road. Despite the dark time of the day and
frosty weather, the protest action of environmentalists and NGO
representatives on the Shusha-Khankandi road continues in the early
hours of December 13.
The protesters have been chanting slogans in defense of the
territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, against the illegal
exploitation of Azerbaijan's natural resources.
The protesters are also against the inadmissibility of
Azerbaijani specialists to the territory to monitor the illicit
exploitation of Azerbaijani deposits.
Previously, following the talks 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 were going
to begin preliminary monitoring of the illicit mineral resource
exploitation, as well as emerging environmental implications on
Azerbaijani lands, where the Russian peacekeepers are temporarily
deployed, on December 10, 2022.
The expert team was expected to inspect the environmental
condition at the Qizilbulaq 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 in both
directions. Thus, the planned initial inspection and monitoring did
not take place due to the fact that Russian peacekeepers not only
did not create the necessary conditions for this but also
participated in a deliberate violation of this process.
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Tags: shusha protest environmental situation