Azerbaijan to legally assess Armenia's environmental damage to liberated lands
By Vafa Ismayilova
Materials on the damages caused by the Armenians to the environment of Azerbaijan's liberated territories have been sent to the Prosecutor-General's Office.
On August 30, the working group on environmental issues of the interdepartmental centre, operating under the Coordination Headquarters, created for the centralized solution of issues on Azerbaijan's liberated territories held a regular meeting.
It was emphasized at the meeting that in connection with the damage to the environment and natural resources, Azerbaijan's Ecology and Natural Resources Ministry carried out an assessment in line with the legislation. Investigation materials on Zangilan, Gubadli, Aghdam, Fuzuli, Khojavend, Jabrayil, Tartar regions and Shusha city were sent to the Prosecutor-General's Office for a legal assessment.
Armenia’s three-decade occupation of Azerbaijani territories extensively damaged the ecosystem, wildlife and natural resources in and around the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Armenians also resorted to large-scale acts of ecological terror in regions they had to leave under the trilateral November peace deal that stipulated the return of Azerbaijan’s occupied territories.
The clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan escalated for the second time in 2020 after Armenia's forces deployed in the occupied Azerbaijani lands targeted Azerbaijani civilian settlements and military positions, causing casualties among civilians and the military. In the early hours of September 27, Azerbaijan launched a counter-offensive operation that lasted six weeks. The operation resulted in the liberation of Azerbaijan's occupied lands.
A Russia-brokered ceasefire deal that Azerbaijan and Armenia signed on November 10, 2020, brought an end to the 44-day war between the two countries. The Azerbaijani army declared a victory against the Armenian troops. The signed agreement obliged Armenia to withdraw its troops from the Azerbaijani lands that it had occupied.
--
Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz