Azerbaijan takes Armenia to Arbitration court over ecological damage

Azerbaijan has lodged a lawsuit against Armenia at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, citing violations of the 1979 "Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats" (commonly known as the Berne Convention).

According to Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the legal filing details numerous breaches committed by Armenia, Caliber.Az reports.

“After regaining control of its territories, Azerbaijan uncovered compelling evidence of severe environmental degradation. Armenia’s activities have inflicted irreversible damage on one of the world’s richest biodiversity areas,” the ministry stated.

Azerbaijan initiated the arbitration process by dispatching a notice to Armenia on January 18, 2023. The tribunal was constituted on September 15, 2023, and the first procedural hearing took place in The Hague on April 12, 2024. This case is the first interstate arbitration proceeding brought under the Berne Convention.

The Azerbaijani claim demands full compensation for the alleged mass destruction of flora, fauna, and their habitats. The lawsuit asserts that large-scale deforestation, mining operations, and the construction of hydropower stations have resulted in the loss of hundreds of species and the degradation of vital ecosystems.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs added that the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has confirmed damage across thousands of hectares of Azerbaijan’s specially protected forests – some of which are home to trees over 2,000 years old.

“Certain reserves, such as the Basitchay Reserve, were established to protect rare and fragile ecosystems,” the ministry noted. UNEP’s report also highlighted the discovery of hundreds of dead fish in the Okchuchay river and documented chemical contamination of water, soil, and biodiversity due to mining on previously occupied territories.

By Aghakazim Guliyev