Azerbaijan drew attention of OECD and CE to Armenia's pollution of transboundary rivers Policy

Baku/01.08.23/Turan: The Prosecutor General of Azerbaijan appealed to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the Council of Europe in connection with Armenia's pollution of the transboundary rivers Araz and Okhchuchay.

According to the press service of the Prosecutor General's Office, the appeal indicates the intensive pollution of the transboundary Okhchuchai River for a long time by a large mining enterprise of Armenia - the Gajaran copper-molybdenum and Gafan mining and processing plants. A ttention is also drawn to the construction of a large metallurgical plant in the village of Yeraskh (Aradeyan) without consulting with the Azerbaijani side and in violation of environmental protection standards.

The appeal of the Prosecutor General of Azerbaijan notes the importance of compliance with the norms of the UN Convention on the Protection of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes, and the UN Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context ("Espoo)".

As recalled in the appeal of the Prosecutor General of Azerbaijan, these international conventions provide for mandatory compliance with environmental protection requirements, including the norms of proper organization of mining enterprises. The importance of cooperation with the competent authorities of Azerbaijan in determining environmental damage was also stressed. --06В0--