(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 8. Azerbaijani
NGOs have issued a statement in protest against the Armenian
project, which will lead to a new environmental disaster in
Armenia's Arazdayan district, trend reports.
According to the report published in Armenian media,
Armenia is preparing to build a large metallurgical plant in
Arazdayan, a region bordering on Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan Autonomous
Republic. A total of $70 million will be invested in the
construction.
"The toxic chemical waste generated by this
metallurgical plant can have a tremendous impact on the region's
ecosystem. The risk of this waste being discharged into the Araz
river is a wake-up call for both the river's wildlife and the large
farms using the Araz water for irrigation. Armenia's failure to
comply with any international mining industry standards poses a
serious environmental threat to both Azerbaijan and the region as a
whole," the NGOs said in the statement.
The construction of such an enterprise on the border
without agreement with the Azerbaijani side represents a flagrant
violation of the 1991 Espoo Convention“On Environmental Impact
Assessment in the Trans-boundary Context”. Azerbaijan and Armenia
are parties to that Convention, and proceeding from the Espoo
Convention, an assessment of the environmental impact of this plant
should be carried out, relevant institutions of Azerbaijan should
review the assessment document related to the construction.
The opinion of the Azerbaijanis living close to the
region should be taken into account, said the statement.
"Armenia's non-compliance with these requirements once
again shows that it is pursuing a destructive policy in the region,
blatantly violating provisions of international documents to which
it is a signatory, as well as its international obligations," said
the NGOs.
"Armenia's policy of environmental terror and ecocide
against Azerbaijan is not new. The fact that the“Metsamor” nuclear
power plant has been posing a threat to the region's environment
for many years, the large-scale environmental tragedies committed
in Karabakh during the occupation, and the discharge of chemical
waste into the Okhchuchay river without prior treatment are further
evidence of that. Armenia has severely polluted the Okhchuchay
river. This exposes the ecosystem of the part of the river passing
through the territory of Azerbaijan to irreversible degradation.
German“Cronimet” company is involved in this environmental crime
alongside Armenia. Unfortunately, the German government has not
taken any tangible steps in this direction," the statement
notes.
The NGOs said that by committing these environmental
crimes, Armenia completely violates the UN Sustainable Development
Goals, in particular the third goal on ensuring everyone's health,
the 6th goal on clean water and sanitation, the 13th goal on
combating the consequences of climate change, and the 15th goal on
protecting the soil ecosystem.
"The UN recognized a clean, healthy and sustainable
environment as a human right in 2022. By causing serious damage to
the environment, Armenia grossly violates the human rights of the
population of Azerbaijan, including the region as a whole.
Moreover, according to various international documents, including
the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, economic
activity must be carried out without cause any harm to human
rights. In this case, Armenia behaves irresponsibly, ignores the
right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment and puts its
own economic interests above everything else," said the
statement.
The NGOs said that as environmental non-governmental
organizations operating in Azerbaijan, they appeal to relevant
international organizations, including the UN Environment Program,
the World Health Organization, the UN Special Rapporteur on the
Environment, the UN Special Rapporteur on Harmful Substances and
Human Rights, "urging them to react to this and put an end to
Armenia's unending environmental terror".
"We appeal to the government of the US to urge the
company preparing to build the large metallurgical plant in the
Arazdayan district and registered in its territory to act
responsibly. Officials of the US, including those of the US
Embassies in Azerbaijan and Armenia, should not remain
tight-lipped, but should express their opinion on the issue," said
the statement.