As Azerbaijani eco-activists are picketing the Lachin road for unhindered access to natural resources deposits by experts under the illegal exploitation of the Armenian separatists in Karabakh, their compatriots worldwide are not idle, joining their voices with the protesters in their just demands.
Thus, a group of Georgian activists, representatives of local public organizations, young people, and students held a peaceful rally outside the UN Office in Tbilisi.
Declaring their solidarity with protests in Karabakh, the participants waved Azerbaijani and Georgian flags and chanted “End to environmental crime!”, “No to environmental terrorism!”, “End to illegal exploitation of Azerbaijan’s natural resources!”, “End to plundering of Karabakh!”, “End to illegal activities of Armenian separatists!” along with other slogans.
One of the participants, Mahabbat Imanova, stressed that the rally is not political and that it calls for an end to environmental crimes. She noted that the damage caused by the Armenian separatists to the ecology of Azerbaijan poses a threat to the entire region, and asked the UN office to put pressure on the eco-terrorism and the destructive actions of the Armenian separatists.
“We, Azerbaijanis living in Georgia, support the protest of Azerbaijani non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Environmental protection is the fundamental duty of every citizen. As Azerbaijanis living in Georgia, we’re concerned about the environmental problems in the area of Russian peacekeepers’ temporary deployment. Against the backdrop of international concern about climate change and water depletion, the damage caused to the environment by Armenian criminal oligarchic groups is accompanied by ethnic hatred,” she added.
She also noted that the picketers request and demand to put pressure on Russian peacekeepers and Armenian separatists in order to stop the environmental terrorism. The protest ended with reading out a statement in Azerbaijani and Georgian outside the UN office. The relevant statement was handed over to the office.
Sabina Mammadli