(MENAFN- AzerNews) By Abbas Ganbay, AZERNEWS
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.
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