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Ecology Ministry highlights missile attack on Mingachevir Power Plant

12 October 2020 13:50 (UTC+04:00)
Ecology Ministry highlights missile attack on Mingachevir Power Plant

By Laman Ismayilova

Azerbaijani Ministry of Ecology has released a statement on Armenian forces targeting Mingachevir Hydro Power Station.

The Power Plant serves several purposes to include hydroelectric power production and water storage for irrigation.

The statement says that Armenian armed forces continue to violate the norms and principles of international law, including the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and it’s Protocols, as well as the requirements of the humanitarian ceasefire declared on October 10, 2020, at 12:00, firing settlements and strategic facilities with heavy artillery and various missile systems.
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"On 11.10.2020, Armenia's armed forces fired missiles on Ganja, second largest city of Azerbaijan, and Mingachevir, a large industrial city located more than 100 km away from the frontline. Armenia armed forces targeted the Mingachevir Hydro Power Plant and water reservoir, the largest in the South Caucasus region.

The Mingachevir Reservoir is one of the largest reservoirs in Azerbaijan, as well as in the South Caucasus, and the Armenian rocket fire could lead to environmental disasters.

Through these actions, Armenia violates obligations of several multilateral environmental agreements that this country is a party to, including the UN Convention on Biological Diversity and UN Convention to Combat Desertification.

"It is the greatest crime against humanity to cause the death of civilians using destructive missiles against civilians in the city of Ganja, far from the area where the military operations are taking place," the message said.

The Ministry strongly condemns these actions, which undermine the security of not only Azerbaijan but the entire region.

"We call on the world's international environmental and humanitarian organizations to take decisive steps to force the occupying Armenia to comply with human rights, international environmental protection requirements and international obligations," the statement said.

Azerbaijan Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources has previously appealed to international organizations amid Armenian's aggressive policy against Azerbaijan.

The statement reports on negative impact on Azerbaijani nature and the environment of the region as a result of Armenia's recent military provocations.

The appeal has been addressed to United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), The World Meteorological Organization (WMO), The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

The statement highlights the facts that Azerbaijani territories are under Armenian occupation for more than 30 years. Territories of Azerbaijan are subjected to environmental terror. As the result of this aggression millions of people become refugees and internally displaced persons.

The Ministry of Ecology expresses hope that international organizations will take appropriate measures against violations of international law and prevent environmental terror.

Armenian Armed Forces committed a large-scale provocation, subjecting the positions of the Azerbaijani army to intensive shelling from large-caliber weapons on September 27.

Armenia's aggression has resulted in deaths and injuries among the civilian population. Azerbaijani Army responded with a counter-offensive along the entire front.

Azerbaijan and Armenia are locked in a conflict over Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh breakaway region, which along with seven adjacent regions was occupied by Armenian forces in a war in the early 1990s.

More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and around one million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities.

Since 1994, hostilities between the two countries have persisted despite the temporary cease-fire agreement. Usually, Armenian forces violate the ceasefire regime on the line of contact. But recently Armenia has increased military aggression on the border.

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