Azerbaijani top official: Armenia seriously damaged Karabakh's ecosystem during thirty-year occupation

Azerbaijani presidential aide Hikmet Hajiyev has said that the thirty-year occupation of Karabakh by Armenia caused serious damage to the ecosystem.

“Recently liberated from Armenia’s military occupation Karabakh and Eastern Zangazur regions of Azerbaijan have been declared net zero and green energy zones. 30 year long military occupation inflicted serious damage to the entire ecosystem of the region,” Caliber.Az quotes Hajiyev as saying on his X account.

He added, “If not Armenia’s military occupation Azerbaijan would have achieved even far better green energy goals and objectives.”

Recently liberated from Armenia’s military occupation Karabakh and Eastern Zangazur regions of Azerbaijan have been declared net zero and green energy zones. 30 year long military occupation inflicted serious damage to the entire ecosystem of the region. If not Armenia’s military… pic.twitter.com/MkdDgkKwkN

— Hikmet Hajiyev (@HikmetHajiyev) November 16, 2024

Notably, Armenia’s three-decade occupation of Azerbaijani territories extensively damaged the ecosystem, wildlife and natural resources in and around the Karabakh region. Armenians also caused various forms of environmental degradation, including illegal deforestation, mining activities, and pollution of water resources in the region.

Pollution of rivers and other water sources has been another significant issue. Rivers flowing through the Karabakh region, such as the Okhchuchay, were contaminated by mining waste, leading to ecological damage downstream, including in areas beyond Azerbaijan's borders.

By Khagan Isayev