Even though the Azerbaijani eco-activists and volunteers’ peaceful protests on the Lachin-Khankandi road mark the 99th straight day on Monday, as many as 28 vehicles of the Russian peacekeepers have driven along it without any problems, Trend reports.
The peacekeepers’ vehicles were moving from Khankendi in the direction of Lachin, which proved once again that there are no obstacles for the humanitarian vehicles to pass freely through the protest area, as Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh claim.
As for the previous 98 days, unimpeded passage was ensured for various types of vehicles, including ambulances and humanitarian convoys.
The Russian peacekeepers are temporarily deployed near Azerbaijan’s Shusha where the protests are ongoing over the Armenian illegal exploitation of mineral deposits, especially Gizilbulag gold and Damirli copper-molybdenum deposits in Nagorno Karabakh.
Protestors – mainly young people and eco-activists – argue that the illegal exploration and exploitation of Azerbaijan’s mineral resources is continuing even under the temporary control of the Russian peacekeeping contingent.
After performing Azerbaijan’s national anthem, the peaceful protestors on the Lachin-Khankendi road reiterated their call for an end to the ecocide against Azerbaijan, demanding monitoring of Azerbaijan’s mineral deposits in the areas where the Russian has been temporarily deployed since December 12, 2022.
A group of experts from Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, the Azeri State Property Service under the Ministry of Economy, and AzerGold CJSC was supposed to begin preliminary monitoring of the illicit mineral resource exploitation and emerging environmental implications on Azerbaijani lands.
On top of the planned inspection of the environmental condition at the ‘Gizilbulagh’ gold deposit and the ‘Damirli’ copper-molybdenum deposit, the expert team was also expected – in line with the agreed visit – to assess potential risks and threats to the environment as well as to underground and surface water resources, organize cadastral property records and to monitor various areas.
Although accompanied by Russian peacekeepers, the expert group faced provocations when it arrived in the monitoring area, so the planned initial inspection and monitoring did not take place.
