Protester on Shusha-Khankandi road: 'We are ready to continue our protest indefinitely'

"We will continue the protests until Volkov comes and responds to our demands. We are ready for the protest action to continue indefinitely," the Chairman of the Sozsuz Dunya Public Union Aida Safarova, a participant in the protests held with the NGO representatives, eco-activists and volunteers on the Shusha-Khankandi road, told Report.

Aida Safarova said that the protesters who took part in the action since yesterday did not leave the area despite the cold weather at night:

"NGO representatives, social activists participate in the action. Everyone is persistent. During the night, 'End environmental terrorism!' and various slogans were chanted."

She noted that they will continue the action until the commander of the Russian peacekeeping forces, Major General Andrey Volkov, comes to the area and responds to the protesters' demands.

"We are even ready for the action to continue indefinitely. We demand that our ecologists from Azerbaijan monitor the areas where our natural resources have been plundered. Volkov must satisfy our demand. However, since yesterday, no one has appeared before us," she said.

A protest action is being held on the part of the road under the control of Russian peacekeepers in the territory of Shusha by Azerbaijani activists and members of environmental non-governmental organizations demanding an end to ecological terrorism in the Karabakh economic region.

As a result of discussions held with the command of the Russian peacekeeping contingent on December 3 and 7, 2022, a team of experts from the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, the State Service for Real Estate Affairs under the Ministry of Economy and AzerGold Closed Joint Stock Company were set to conduct preliminary monitoring regarding the illegal exploitation of mineral deposits and the resulting ecological and other consequences in the territories of Azerbaijan, where the Russian peacekeeping contingent is temporarily stationed. However, due to the inactivity of the peacekeepers, the monitoring did not take place.