Azerbaijan demands an end to the illegal mining at the Gyzylbulag gold deposit and the Damirli copper-molybdenum deposit in Karabakh, Azerbaijani presidential aide Hikmet Hajiyev said at a meeting with foreign diplomats on Tuesday.
"We observed an intensification in the illegal exploitation of the Gyzylbulag and Damirli mineral deposits. This issue has been examined by the relevant agencies of Azerbaijan and the Defense Ministry brought up the issue with the command of Russian peacekeepers, reaching an agreement to conduct a monitoring mission by the relevant agencies at the Gyzylbulag field on December 10. This illegal activity must be stopped, and there needs to be an assessment of environmental damage," said Hajiyev, who is also head of the foreign policy department at the Azerbaijani presidential administration.
He said that the illegal mining at mineral deposits in Karabakh causes serious discontent in Azerbaijan. "That’s why civil society activists, representatives of non-governmental organizations, other activists and groups gathered on the Shusha-Khankendi-Lachin road to express their protest," the official added, noting that all demands by the environmental activists are legitimate.
