According to Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the lawsuit details numerous violations committed by Armenia concerning its legal obligations under the Bern Convention.
This lawsuit marks the first known interstate arbitration case based on the Bern Convention.
“Following the liberation of its territories from occupation, Azerbaijan uncovered shocking evidence of Armenia’s destruction of the environment. Armenia failed to protect habitats and species in one of the world’s richest biodiversity hotspots. Its actions have caused irreversible and severe damage to wildlife and species in the region,” the statement read.
On January 18, 2023, Azerbaijan officially notified Armenia of the arbitration process based on the gathered evidence. The composition of the arbitration tribunal was approved on September 15, 2023, and on April 12, 2024, the first procedural hearing between Azerbaijan and Armenia took place at the Peace Palace in The Hague.
Azerbaijan is demanding full compensation from Armenia for the large-scale destruction of habitats and wildlife. Specifically, the lawsuit addresses actions that negatively impacted hundreds of species and habitats in Azerbaijani territories previously under Armenian occupation. These include large-scale deforestation, environmentally unsustainable tree cutting, mining activities, and the construction of hydroelectric power plants.
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) reported the destruction of thousands of hectares of specially protected and valuable forests in Azerbaijan, some of which contained trees over 2,000 years old. Some of these reserves were created to protect rare and fragile ecosystems, such as the eastern plane tree forest in the Basitchay Valley. UNEP’s report also documented hundreds of dead fish in the Okhchuchay River, confirming that mining activities in the formerly occupied territories led to chemical pollution of water, soil, and biodiversity. The environmental damage caused by Armenia during the occupation continues to pose a threat to several protected fish and amphibian species.
“Azerbaijan will continue its efforts to ensure justice and hold Armenia internationally accountable for environmental destruction and its failure to protect wildlife and habitats during the illegal occupation,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized.
