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Akbar Novruz

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The “Environmental Protection First” (EPF) Coalition has issued a strong statement condemning the placement of uranium-containing radioactive waste in Armenia near its conditional border with Azerbaijan, calling it “a new ecological war against Azerbaijan”, Azernews reports.

The radioactive waste reportedly originates from France’s state-owned nuclear fuel company Orano and has allegedly been secretly transferred and stored in Armenia’s Dilijan National Park since June 2025.

“We assess the placement of part of the uranium-containing radioactive waste of the French nuclear fuel giant Orano in areas close to Armenia’s conditional border with Azerbaijan as a new ecological war against Azerbaijan,” the EPF statement reads.

The environmental coalition references an investigation by French media outlet Courrier France 24, which reported that the first shipment of nuclear waste was delivered to Dilijan National Park, a protected area located north of Lake Goycha (Sevan), entirely within the Agstafa River basin, which ultimately feeds into Azerbaijan’s Kura River. The coalition warns that this poses a direct threat to Azerbaijan’s biodiversity, particularly in the Gadabay, Tovuz, Agstafa, and Gazakh regions.

The EPF also points to alleged corruption surrounding the transfer, claiming that the uranium deal was arranged during a February meeting between French President Emmanuel Macron and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. The coalition cites Courrier France 24 reports alleging that large, unexplained donations were later transferred by the French company to the "My Step" Foundation, headed by Pashinyan’s wife, Anna Hakobyan.

The coalition further emphasises the seismic risk of storing nuclear waste in the Armenian highlands and criticises France for continuing its “colonial” practice of disposing of nuclear waste abroad.

“The fact that France, which has 56 nuclear reactors, is now transporting nuclear waste to Armenia—after previously dumping it into the seas of its colonial territories—should alarm the entire world, including the International Atomic Energy Agency,” the statement continues.

The EPF accuses Armenia of violating international environmental conventions, including the Espoo Convention and the Helsinki Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses, by failing to notify or consult affected parties, specifically, Azerbaijan.

While Armenian officials have dismissed the media reports as “disinformation,” the EPF stresses that no independent verification has been allowed at the reported site.

The coalition concluded by urging Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to permit joint environmental monitoring by Azerbaijani NGOs, in cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and other relevant international bodies.

“We call on Armenian environmental organisations to stop this ecological terrorism and demand transparency from their government,” the EPF urged.

The growing controversy raises new questions about nuclear accountability, regional stability, and transboundary environmental safety in the South Caucasus.