Prosecutor General: Armenian plant in Arazdayan to have serious impact on Azerbaijan's nature PHOTO

"Armenia is currently building a large metallurgical plant worth $70 million in the border region in Sadarak, in Arazdeyan," Azerbaijani Prosecutor General Kamran Aliyev said.

He made the remarks while speaking at a conference on cross-border cooperation between the prosecutor's offices of Azerbaijan and Türkiye in Nakhchivan, Caliber.Az reports.

The Prosecutor General said that the construction of a large metallurgical plant and the discharge of toxic substances into the Araz River, the second largest river in the South Caucasus, is a serious environmental crime:

"We have discussed this many times with our Turkish colleagues. Pollution of the Araz River also has a direct impact on the quality of water resources, as well as on the fauna and flora of Azerbaijan and other countries. Not only the Araz River will be polluted as a result of the activities of the plant to be built near Sadarak district. The poisonous gas emitted into the air will have a negative impact on the atmosphere, fauna, and flora of the territory. The activity of the plant will harm the environment and ecosystem.

Armenia once again grossly violates the norms and principles of international law, in particular the provisions of the UN Economic Commission for Europe Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context (Espo Convention). This is not the first case when Armenia does not comply with the norms of international environmental law," he said.

"The pollution level of the Araz River is known, the construction of a new plant on it has led to environmental crimes. The construction of the plant has led to serious problems for Turkey and Azerbaijan, and we bring information about this environmental crime to the world community. The pollution of Okhchuchay directly affects the quality of water in the Araz River", Aliyev emphasised.