By Azernews

By Fatima Hasanova

On December 5, the Azerbaijani and Russian foreign ministers discussed Baku's call for monitoring of the ecological situation in Karabakh, Azernews reports.

"Azerbaijan welcomes the participation of Russian companies in the restoration of the liberated territories," Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov said at a press conference following a meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow.

Azerbaijan has earlier sent specialists to investigate the illicit exploitation of mineral resources on the Xankandi-Shusha road.

Employees of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, the State Property Service under the Ministry of Economy, and AzerGold CJSC went to the Azerbaijani territory under the temporary control of the Russian peacekeepers and continued negotiations with the command of peacekeepers at their headquarters in Xojali (Khojaly).

"Azerbaijan is actively restoring the territories liberated from occupation. During this year, numerous missions of Russian business delegations were carried out to these territories. We welcome the participation of Russian companies in the restoration of the liberated territories," Bayramov said.

The minister noted that at his meeting in Moscow with Lavrov, the need to promote the North-South project was discussed separately.

"We believe that the potential of this project and the transit route is much greater," Bayramov said.

The ministers expressed serious concerns and discontent over the illicit exploitation of minerals as part of illegal economic activities carried out in Azerbaijan's territories, where Russian peacekeeping forces are temporarily deployed, as well as over the resulting environmental and other consequences. The sides emphasized the importance of monitoring and inventorying property, as well as conducting ecological studies at deposits where illegal mining is carried out.

To recap, on December 5, a meeting was held between Azerbaijani and Russian Foreign Ministers Jeyhun Bayramov and Sergei Lavrov in Moscow. At the meeting, the foreign ministers discussed the state and prospects of bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on the most pressing aspects of the regional and international agenda, including the issues of normalizing relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.