Former Israeli minister: I stand in solidarity with eco-activists protesting along Lachin Corridor

The right to a clean environment and a nation’s ability to exploit its natural resources in a clean manner is a basic human right, reads an article by Ayoob Kara, former minister of communications of Israel, published by The Jewish Press, Report informs.

“I stand in solidarity with the eco-activists protesting along the Lachin Corridor and I support Azerbaijan as they file an arbitration case against Armenia under the Energy Charter Treaty. Armenia breached multiple provisions of the Energy Charter Treaty as well as other principles of international law by denying Azerbaijan access to its energy resources in Karabakh and the seven Azerbaijani districts, exploiting Azerbaijan’s energy resources for its own benefits,” he wrote.

“This arbitration case, alongside the one that Azerbaijan put forward under the Bern Convention to prosecute Armenia for the destruction of the environment in Karabakh, clearly is an effort to support justice and reparations after Armenia essentially stole Azerbaijan’s energy resources over a period of decades.”

“About a year ago, I was in Karabakh and personally witnessed the grave destruction that the Armenians caused to the environment in Karabakh. We essentially saw rivers with no fish, uprooted trees, burnt agricultural fields and other vast destruction of the nature in Karabakh,” he wrote.

“However, sadly, some individuals, such as the German Foreign Minister, refuse to understand that Armenia is the aggressor in this conflict. They blame Azerbaijan for protesting along the Lachin Corridor and blocking off traffic, referring to it as a “humanitarian disaster” and even “genocide.” As someone who grew up alongside Holocaust survivors, it is a major insult to refer to these protests as such. For starters, humanitarian aid from the Red Cross and Russian peacekeepers is being let through,” the author wrote in his article.

The protest on the Khankandi-Lachin road against the illegal exploitation of mineral deposits in the Karabakh economic region of Azerbaijan continues for the 85th day.