Azerbaijan initiates international arbitration against Armenia

Baku/19.01.23/Turan: On January 18 Azerbaijan initiated the first interstate arbitration process under the Berne convention "On the Protection of Wild Flora and Fauna and Natural Habitats in Europe".

"The purpose of the case is to hold Armenia responsible for the large-scale destruction of Azerbaijan's environment and biodiversity during its illegal occupation of internationally recognized territories for nearly 30 years," the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"Azerbaijan, which liberated its territories from occupation in 2020, has collected all evidence related to the destruction of the environment during the illegal occupation. This caused serious damage to the habitat and fauna in the region, depletion of natural resources and destruction of biodiversity. Mass felling of forests, illegal construction and mining in areas that had been nature reserves before the occupation has endangered more than 500 species of wildlife species in Azerbaijan," it was reported.

Azerbaijan calls on the international community to condemn Armenia for destroying one of the richest and most biodiverse ecosystems in the world during the occupation. As part of the arbitration process, Azerbaijan is demanding that Armenia stop the ongoing violations of the Berne convention and pay full compensation to Azerbaijan for the destruction of the environment in the territories that were under occupation. -16D-