Tokyo, 07 August, /AJMEDIA/
A number of non-governmental organizations in Azerbaijan have issued a statement regarding the establishment of a coalition named ‘Environmental Protection First’, AJMEDIA reports.
“We are deeply concerned about the economic activities exacerbated by gross violations of environmental norms and standards in Armenia’s mining industry, which will lead to a disaster in the entire South Caucasus region, which has a population of over 15 million people.” “We announce the formation of a ‘Environmental Protection First’ coalition to coordinate efforts in combating this,” added the statement.
“The lack of response from Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to the questions raised by Azerbaijan’s civil society in an open letter addressed personally to the prime minister, regarding the creation of conditions for the arrival of international experts to Armenia and on-the-ground assessment, and the ignoring of similar appeals from foreign NGOs, necessitate the formation of this coalition,” the statement noted.
Furthermore, the coalition’s major purpose, according to the statement, would be to regularly monitor the processes of Armenia’s mining industry using all legal methods and to enhance the battle against infractions.
“We also hope for help from various civil society organizations in Armenia, as these issues pose a serious threat to the Armenian people’s health.” Unfortunately, Armenian authorities are disregarding and censoring a number of local civil society organizations that are well aware of the situation,” according to the statement.
“Today, as the global community becomes more active in addressing environmental issues and mobilizing to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals,” the statement said, “Armenia’s behavior completely contradicts these efforts.” “The coalition begins its work by reviewing the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) documents of foreign mining companies operating in Armenia.” Unfortunately, our preliminary investigation reveals that corporations operating in Armenia are hiding documents that should be available to the public.”
“We urge both local and foreign companies involved in Armenia’s mining industry to promptly publish the full text of their EIA documents on their official websites or make them public for the community. We wish to review these documents,” the statement authors said. “As part of our activities, we intend to establish active communication and cooperation with the head offices of foreign companies operating in Armenia and relevant official structures of their home countries, including international organizations.”
“Our work will be fully transparent and accountable, and we will regularly inform the public about our progress. We invite all stakeholders interested in this matter to partner and collaborate with the “Environmental Protection First” coalition, as stated in the declaration,” the authors concluded.
The statement was signed by:
“Experts in the Field of Water Use,” Public Union, Amin Mammadov;
“Health Service” Public Union, Parvana Valiyeva;
Foundation for the Development of Entrepreneurship and Market Economy, Sabit Baghirov;
Public Association for Environmental Awareness and Monitoring, Hamza Yusubova
Previously, Azerbaijani environmentalists issued an open letter to Pashinyan, listing Armenian polluters of the environment.
The letter stated that the deterioration of the ecosystem as a result of continuous mining operations endangers not just Armenia’s ecology but also neighboring countries.
The open letter authors called on the prime minister to stop the construction of a new metallurgical plant being built in Arazdayan (Yeraskh) settlement contrary to the requirements of environmental standards and international conventions, adding that the potential impact of this plant’s toxic chemical waste on the local ecosystem could be enormous.
