Peaceful protest rally to continue until demands met - Azerbaijani volunteer

By Trend

The peaceful protest rally on the Lachin-Khankandi road in Azerbaijan [near Shusha, close to the Russian peacekeepers' temporary deployment area] will continue until the aims of the protesters are reached, Ali Huseynli, participant of the protest, said, Trend reports from the scene on December 17.

“Together with more than 200 Azerbaijani volunteers on the Lachin-Khankandi road, we say no to the ecological terror. We will continue this peaceful protest until our demands are met,” Huseynli added.

Previously, following the talks with the Russian peacekeepers' command on December 3 and 7, 2022, a group of experts from the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, the State Property Service under the Ministry of Economy, and AzerGold CJSC were going to begin preliminary monitoring of the illicit mineral resource exploitation, as well as emerging environmental implications on Azerbaijani lands, where the Russian peacekeepers are temporarily deployed, on December 10, 2022.

The expert team was expected to inspect the environmental condition at the 'Gizilbulagh' gold deposit and the 'Damirli' copper-molybdenum deposit, monitor various areas, organize cadastral property records, assess potential risks and threats to the environment, as well as to underground and surface water sources.

However, when arriving in the monitoring area, the expert group, accompanied by Russian peacekeepers, faced provocations. The planned initial inspection and monitoring did not take place due to the fact that the Russian peacekeepers not only did not create necessary conditions but also prevented for the entire process to carry on.