Baku draws UN attention to Yerevan's efforts to politicize eco-activists' protests

I n a letter of address to the UN Secretary-General, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov provided detailed information about the illegal exploitation of mineral deposits in the territory of Azerbaijan.

The letter drew attention to Armenia's attempts to politicize the protests of Azerbaijani activists on the Lachin road against illegal economic activities in Azerbaijani territories, where the Russian peacekeeping contingent is temporarily stationed, calling it a "humanitarian crisis".

In keeping with the document, starting from December 3, 2022, Azerbaijani state agency representatives held negotiations with the command of the peacekeeping contingent on the illegal exploitation of mineral deposits, the environmental and other consequences arising from this, and, despite the agreement reached, obstacles were created for admission of representatives of Azerbaijan to the indicated deposits on December 10.

The letter emphasizes that there are no restrictions on the movement of cars on the Lachin road, the Azerbaijani protesters have no intention of stopping traffic on the road; on the contrary, they are ready to facilitate the movement of civilian vehicles, in particular ambulances, and Azerbaijan has taken steps to encourage dialogue with local Armenian residents.

The ministry further stated that Azerbaijan is constantly fulfilling its obligations, while Armenia is grossly violating the tripartite statement and using the Lachin road for illegal military operations.

The letter also touched on the topic of landmines, noting their grave consequences.

“Since the end of the Patriotic War of 2020, 276 of our citizens have suffered from mine explosions, and 35 of the 46 victims were civilians," the ministry said.

The letter was published as a document of the Security Council.