By Trend

Russian peacekeepers [temporarily stationed in Azerbaijan’s Karabakh in accordance with a trilateral statement signed between Azerbaijani, Armenian and Russian leaders following the 2020 second Karabakh war] brought a speaker system to the site of a peaceful rally near Shusha, Trend reports from the scene on December 15.

The peaceful protests of Azerbaijan's non-governmental organizations (NGOs) against the inadmissibility of Azerbaijani specialists to the territory, to monitor the illegal exploitation of deposits in the area, continue for the fourth straight day.

The amount of peaceful protesters isn't decreasing, who are still chanting slogans and demanding to speak with the commander of the peacekeeping contingent, Major General Andrey Volkov.

Previously, following the negotiations 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 on December 10, was going to begin the preliminary monitoring in accordance with the illegal exploitation of mineral deposits, as well as the emerging environmental and other consequences of this on the territory of Azerbaijan.

It was planned to inspect the environmental conditions 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, despite the group's arrival, accompanied by Russian peacekeepers, in the monitoring area, it 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.