Azerbaijan asks international bodies to settle ecological disputes with Armenia

MOSCOW

Azerbaijan on Tuesday asked international organizations to settle ecological disputes with Armenia, urging them to press Yerevan to comply with the UN Convention on the Protection of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes.

In its pleas to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the Council of Europe, Azerbaijan's Prosecutor General's Office in a statement stressed the importance of collaboration with the country's competent authorities in determining environmental damage.

"The appeal mentions the importance of compliance 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 norms of proper organization of mining enterprises," the office said.

Relations between the two former Soviet republics have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

In the fall of 2020, Azerbaijan liberated several cities, villages, and settlements from Armenian occupation during 44 days of clashes. The war ended with a Russia-brokered peace agreement.

Despite the ongoing talks on a peace agreement, tensions between the neighboring countries increased in recent months over the Lachin corridor, the only land route giving Armenia access to Karabakh.