Azerbaijan, Baku, Feb. 28 / Trend I.Isabalayeva /
Azerbaijan has filed a lawsuit against Armenia in the Secretariat of the Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context (ESPOO) for failing to meet convention requirements while building a new nuclear reactor in Armenia, Environmental and
Environmental Policy Department head of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources Rasim Sattarzadeh told Trend on Tuesday.
He said a regular meeting of the ESPOO Executive Committee will be held in Geneva in March, during which a lawsuit filed by Azerbaijan against Armenia will be discussed.
Armenia plans to build a new nuclear reactor in the Metsamor nuclear power plant. Azerbaijan and Armenia are ESPOO members, which is why Armenia is obliged to provide information to neighbors about activities that may impact the environment, he said.
"The environmental impact assessment document in connection with the construction of a new reactor should be also submitted to the Azerbaijani side. Azerbaijan also has to express its opinion on this issue," Sattarzadeh said.
Armenia has also filed a lawsuit against Azerbaijan in response with the Secretariat ESPOO about non-participation in the process of evaluating the environmental impact of major oil projects in Azerbaijan, he noted.
Sattarzadeh, who believes the claim is baseless, said the projects in no way affect the environment in Armenia, as most oil projects are carried out in the Caspian Sea, as well as on the Absheron Peninsula, and have no negative impact on Armenia.
Azerbaijan joined the ESPOO Convention in 1999, and the implementation of these projects started in 1994-1996, and document on the assessment of environmental impact was approved. These documents proved these projects do not have any impact in a transboundary context, he added.