BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 23. As reported, Baku State University (BSU) hosted a presentation of an interactive map developed by the “Environmental Protection First” coalition reflecting the negative environmental impact of mining enterprises operating on the territory of Armenia, Trend reports.
In an interview with Trend, Amin Mammadov, chairman of the Public Council under the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, stated that the “Environmental Protection First” coalition was established in August 2023 by non-governmental organizations of Azerbaijan. The main reason for the creation of the coalition was related to the dissemination of information by the Republic of Armenia about the construction of a metallurgical plant in Arazdeyan, near the conditional border with Azerbaijan.
“We, as non-governmental organizations, protested. An open letter was also sent to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. The letter demanded that Armenia provide Azerbaijan, according to the Espo International Convention, with an environmental impact assessment report in case of construction of this plant and create conditions for monitoring on the territory,” he said.
According to him, the NGO “Cartographers of Azerbaijan”, which is a member of the “Environmental Protection First” coalition, made a map of the mining industry in Armenia.
“This map was originally drawn up in 2024 in paper format in Azerbaijani, English, and Armenian languages. Earlier this year, an electronic format of the map was developed. This map is available online in all three languages. Today, a presentation of this map was held at Baku State University with the participation of students from several faculties,” Mammadov noted.