BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 27. Journalist from Spain has come to Azerbaijan to observe the peaceful protest on the Lachin-Khankendi road, Trend reports from the scene.
“This is my first time in Azerbaijan. I am here to observe the protest. Azerbaijanis say that guards and buses pass normally (along Azerbaijan's Lachin-Khankendi road), we are here to see what is really happening,” the traveler said.
Currently, the representatives of foreign media are on a visit in Azerbaijan's Shusha. They visited the territory where the Azerbaijani eco-activists are currently holding a peaceful protest and got acquainted with the demands of participants.
The peaceful protest on the Lachin-Khankendi road against the illegal exploitation of Azerbaijan's mineral resources in the area of Russian peacekeepers' temporary deployment has been going on since December 12, 2022.
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 'Gizilbulagh' 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, the expert group, accompanied by Russian peacekeepers, faced provocations when arriving in the monitoring area. The planned initial inspection and monitoring did not take place due to the fact that the Russian peacekeepers not only did not create necessary conditions but also prevented the entire process from carrying on.