BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 8. The Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Azerbaijan issued a statement in connection with the construction of a large metallurgical plant in the territory of Armenia, bordering Azerbaijan, with the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, Trend reports citing the ministry.
The statement said Armenian Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan posted on his social media account information and videos confirming the construction of a large steel plant with an annual production capacity of 180,000 tons on an area of 16,500 square meters in the village of Yeraskh (Arazdeen), located on the border Armenia with Azerbaijan, with the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic.
"This means that Armenia is once again flagrantly violating the norms and principles of international law, especially the provisions of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context (Espoo Convention).
Thus, according to the provisions of the Espoo Convention, if a large-scale economic activity planned by a party to the Convention on its territory has a negative impact on the environment on the territory of other countries, this activity must be agreed with the relevant authorities of this country, and a document must be prepared on environmental impact assessment.
Also, as a party to the Espoo Convention, Armenia had to ensure the participation of Azerbaijan and the public in the affected areas in the transboundary environmental impact assessment procedure before the start of this activity.
We inform you that this is not the first time that Armenia does not comply with the norms of international law, including environmental law. Some time ago, Azerbaijan filed a lawsuit against Armenia under the Espoo Convention regarding plans to build a new nuclear reactor on the territory of the Metsamor nuclear power plant, and it was decided that Armenia did not comply with the provisions of the Convention.
Everyone knows that the mining industry in Armenia has a serious negative impact on the ecological environment of Azerbaijan. The industrial waters of the large mining enterprises of Armenia - the Gajaran copper-molybdenum plant and the Gafan ore-dressing plant with a high chemical content - have been intensively polluting the transboundary Okhchuchay for a long time.
These facts show that such illegal actions of Armenia have become a source of danger not only for Azerbaijan, but also for the ecological environment of the entire region.
We strongly condemn the actions of Armenia that damage the ecological security of the region and contradict the norms of international law, and we call on the international community to pay special attention to this issue," - statement says.