Environmentalists focus on Armenia’s Amuldagh gold field

The Azerbaijani Environmental Protection First coalition has held a briefing for the journalists.

The briefing on the negative impact of Armenia’s Amuldagh gold field on the environment and ecology of the regional countries was held, APA reports.

The information about the construction of a metallurgical plant in Arazdayan, a historical region of Azerbaijan, located on the Armenian territory, went viral in June 2023, Chairman of the Public Council under the Azerbaijani Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources Amin Mammadov said at a briefing.

He noted that several non-governmental organisations dealing with environmental protection and ecology, in particular, civil society organisations in Azerbaijan, made statements due to the construction of the plant calling for compliance with the conventions to which Armenia has joined at the international level. A letter was also sent to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

Mammadov noted that the Armenian mining enterprises continue operating in the regions bordering Azerbaijan, but the report on assessing the impact of this activity on the environment has not been made public.

“The information about the environmental impact of the activity at the Amuldagh gold field [Amulsar] has not been made public either. There were protests even in Armenia demanding to suspend the activity at the field due to the negative impact on the environment. The activity of this field, which poses a big threat to biodiversity and water resources, also leads to negative consequences for the region,” he said.

Mammadov added that the Armenian side must create conditions for monitoring at the Amuldagh field.