Yerevan: The 'Environmental Protection First' Coalition has issued an appeal to the Leaders' Summit participants and COP17, which will take place in Armenia under the slogan 'Leaders for Nature,' APA reports.
According to Azeri-Press News Agency, the coalition's address highlights concerns over Armenia's mining industry and its environmental impacts on the region's biodiversity and transboundary rivers. The coalition, comprising Azerbaijani civil society activists, stresses the importance of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework in achieving biodiversity targets and emphasizes the need for concrete actions at COP17.
The coalition points out that mining activities in Armenia, conducted without adherence to international environmental standards, pose ecological risks across the South Caucasus. They have previously raised these issues with the Armenian government and aligned with Armenian environmental organizations seeking solutions.
The coalition notes that several transboundary rivers originating in Armenia flow into Azerbaijan, where downstream monitoring shows harmful substance concentrations exceeding permissible standards due to upstream mining activities. They propose joint monitoring missions within Armenia with international experts to ensure transparent environmental assessments and advocate for public access to Environmental Impact Assessment documentation.
Azerbaijan, as a Party to the UNECE Water Convention, prioritizes joint monitoring of transboundary waters, information exchange, and public access to environmental information. In contrast, Armenia is not a Party to this Convention, despite the significant environmental implications for the Kur-Araz rivers' basins and the Caspian Sea.
The Espoo Convention, which Armenia is part of, mandates informing neighboring countries about economic activities near shared borders, including mining operations. This includes submitting EIA reports, an obligation Armenia must meet. Despite commitments made in 2014 concerning the Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant, Armenia has not demonstrated accountability regarding environmental impacts or measures to prevent radioactive contamination, posing a significant threat to biodiversity.
The coalition believes the peace agenda following the Washington Summit has created opportunities for Azerbaijani and Armenian civil society collaboration in this field. They welcome the peace agenda and see environmental justice as a significant contributor to sustainable peace in the South Caucasus.
The coalition calls on the COP17 Presidency and Leaders' Summit participants to encourage Armenia to adopt concrete measures for protecting transboundary rivers, managing mining activities responsibly, establishing transparent monitoring mechanisms, and ensuring public access to environmental information.