BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 23. Members of the US-Azerbaijan Center of Integration (USACI), operating in the state of Texas, expressed support for the peaceful protest rally being held by Azerbaijani environmental activists on Azerbaijan's Shusha-Khankandi road, temporarily controlled by Russian peacekeepers, Trend reports on December 23 via the State Committee for Work with Diaspora.
According to the committee, addressing Director of New York Office at UNESCO Eliot Minchenberg and Texas Congressman Troy Nehls on behalf of USACI, members of the Azerbaijani community expressed their deep concern about the current situation.
The address noted that during nearly 30-year period of occupation of the sovereign territories of Azerbaijan by the Armenian armed forces, the natural resources, waters, forests of the Karabakh region were illegally exploited, and environmental terrorism was committed in the region.
Besides, the address drew attention to the fact that even after the victory in the second Karabakh war and the liberation of the Azerbaijani territories in 2020, the illegal exploitation of the Gizilbulag gold deposits and the Damirli copper-molybdenum deposits located in Azerbaijan's territory temporarily controlled by the Russian peacekeeping contingent, continues.
Calling the current situation an act of eco-terrorism, the address authors strongly condemned the acts of environmental terror committed by Armenians and emphasized the support of Azerbaijanis who have been holding peaceful protests on the Shusha-Khankandi road.
Besides, the authors demanded to ensure the safety of Azerbaijani environmental activists, and investigate the exploitation of the Gizilbulag gold and Damirli copper-molybdenum deposits.
They also called on international organizations to act in accordance with international conventions [on environmental protection] to demand an immediate stop to Armenian ecoterrorism and to the illegal exploitation of natural resources in the territories of Azerbaijan, where Russian peacekeepers are temporarily stationed, and also demanded to bring the Armenian perpetrators to justice to prevent Armenia from committing similar criminal acts.
The address concluded that support in raising awareness of this issue would be highly appreciated by everyone who cares for the ecosystem of the world and humanity as a whole.