Azerbaijani Prosecutor General’s Office Appeals to OECD and CoE on Armenia’s Ecological Crimes

The Prosecutor General’s Office continues to investigate the pollution of the Araz and Okhchuchay rivers in the border zone with the Republic of Armenia, Report informs citing the press service of the Prosecutor’s Office.

Intensive pollution of the transboundary Okhchuchay for a long time by a large mining enterprise of Armenia – the Garajan copper-molybdenum and Gafan ore mining and processing plants, as well as the construction of a large metallurgical plant in the village of Yeraskh (Arazdeyan) without consultation with the Azerbaijani side and violation of environmental protection standards, necessitated taking additional measures.

In this regard, the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Azerbaijan sent an appeal to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the Council of Europe.

The appeal mentions the importance of complying with the norms of the UN Convention on the Protection of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes, and the UN Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context (Espoo), which provide for mandatory compliance with environmental protection requirements, including the rules for the proper organization of the work of mining enterprises. Also, the importance of cooperation with the competent authorities of our country in determining environmental damage was emphasized.

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