By Trend

A total of 52 deposits on Azerbaijani lands were cruelly exploited during the period of Armenian occupation, without observing any environmental regulations, Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan Mukhtar Babayev said, Trend reports.

He made the remark at the conference "Great Return: The Triumph of Ilham Aliyev's Policy", dedicated to the first state program on the 'Great Return' to the Azerbaijani liberated territories, organized by New Azerbaijan Party (YAP).

According to Babayev, since the beginning of December 2022, the Azerbaijani side has been discussing with Russian peacekeepers the need to stop the illegal exploitation of natural resources in the territory of their temporary deployment, conduct monitoring and inventory, assess environmental damage and eliminate its consequences.

"Of course, this situation in the territory of the temporary deployment of peacekeepers concerns the Azerbaijani public," he added.

The minister also noted that despite the frosty weather, civil society representatives and ecoactivists from non-governmental organizations have been holding a peaceful rally on the Lachin-Shusha road, the purpose of which is to stop the illegal exploitation of natural resources in Azerbaijan.