SHUSHA, Azerbaijan, April 19. A convoy of eight
passenger cars and four trucks of the International Committee of
the Red Cross (ICRC) has passed along Azerbaijan’s Lachin-Khankendi
road, near Shusha, without any issues, Trend reports from the
scene.
The vehicles were moving from Lachin in the direction of
Khankendi.
This once again proves that humanitarian vehicles can pass
freely through the peaceful protest area, there are no obstacles
for them.
The protest on the Lachin-Khankendi road against the illegal
exploitation of Azerbaijan’s mineral resources in the area of
Russian peacekeepers’ temporary deployment has been going on since
December 12, 2022.
Previously, following the talks with the Russian peacekeepers’
command on December 3 and 7, 2022, a group of experts from the
Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, the State Property
Service under the Ministry of Economy, and AzerGold CJSC was going
to begin preliminary monitoring of the illicit mineral resource
exploitation, as well as emerging environmental implications on
Azerbaijani lands, where the Russian peacekeepers are temporarily
deployed, on December 10, 2022.
The expert team was expected to inspect the environmental
condition at the ‘Gizilbulagh’ gold deposit and the ‘Damirli’
copper-molybdenum deposit, monitor various areas, organize
cadastral property records, assess potential risks and threats to
the environment, as well as to underground and surface water
sources.
However, the expert group, accompanied by Russian peacekeepers,
faced provocations when arriving in the monitoring area. The
planned initial inspection and monitoring did not take place due to
the fact that the Russian peacekeepers not only did not create
necessary conditions but also prevented the entire process from
carrying on.
