MP: Armenia illegally exploited 46 Azerbaijani deposits during occupation

During the occupation, Armenia illegally exploited seven ore and 39 non-metallic deposits belonging to Azerbaijan, MP Parvana Valiyeva said at a briefing organized by the Environmental Protection First NGO coalition on "The Environmental Impact of Mining Activities Carried Out in Armenia."

According to Report, she noted that in 2009–2017, Swiss-registered companies such as Vallex Group and Base Metals generated $177.5 million in profits from illegal metal extraction.

"They used these funds to finance the illegal occupation. If the Armenian side was earning hundreds of millions of dollars from gold and copper mining, as well as tree logging, what incentive could it have had to conclude a peace agreement? There was no incentive. Peace would have meant shutting down their business. This was one of the main reasons for prolonging peace talks for 20–30 years. If peace had been achieved, their mining operations would have ceased, and they would have lost access to free coal and water resources. Freezing the conflict became a highly profitable business model for them," Valiyeva said.

Valiyeva added that Armenia's actions had resulted in an environmental disaster in the region, the consequences of which would be felt for centuries.

"We will not be able to legally compensate for the damage caused by the predatory extraction of mineral resources until their depletion, the aggressive exploitation of copper mines and the contamination of groundwater with toxic waste. It may take centuries to restore the rare walnut and oak trees that have been destroyed. These irreversible wounds inflicted on nature heal slowly. This is an environmental precedent that should make all humanity reflect," she said.