Significance to protect ecological safety

Currently, environmental safety is one of the main issues of concern to the entire world community. Global climate change, land desertification processes and lack of clean drinking water are the focus of most countries. In this regard, important nuances are reflected in the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, more precisely, goal 6 is about the need for efficient use of water resources and access to water supply, sanitation and hygiene, goal 13 is about combating climate change, and goal 15 is about protecting and restoring terrestrial ecosystems, efficient use of forests and the fight against desertification, as well as the need to stop land degradation [1].

As in the rest of the world, Azerbaijan is sensitive to the issue of environmental safety, the necessary and urgent measures are being taken. However, it should be noted that as a result of the occupation policy of the Republic of Armenia, more than 17,000 square kilometers of the territory of our country have been subjected to merciless environmental terrorism for almost 30 years. As a result of the end of the Patriotic War with our glorious victory, along with the liberation of our lands from occupation, the aggressor Republic of Armenia put an end to the acts of environmental terrorism and looting on our lands. Thus, the Armenian vandals committed illegal actions in the occupied territories, massively exploited natural resources, destroyed our cities and villages, cut down and burned forests, damaged fauna and flora, destroyed biodiversity, dried up rivers, aggravated the ecological situation in the ecosystem, polluted, green spaces and rich natural resources are destroyed, the ecological balance is disturbed, consequences leading to environmental degradation occur, nature is brutally killed. Landscapes, century-old trees, vegetation, meadows, slopes, waterfalls, natural caves, samples of cultural parks, gardens, unique geological outcrops, rocks, paleontological layers characteristic of the nature of Azerbaijan were also destroyed. Of the 260,000 hectares of forest in the occupied territories, only a few thousand hectares remain. Armenia flagrantly violated international conventions relating to ecology and the environment, including the UN Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile Use of Means of Impact on the Environment, and destroyed the ecosystem in the territories it occupied. According to expert estimates, the amount of damage to nature and the environment exceeded 244 billion US dollars.

Resolution No. 2085, adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in January 2016, calls on the leadership of Armenia not to use water resources as a means of political influence, but this call was ignored. The resolution stated that as a result of the occupation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan and adjacent areas by Armenia, the citizens of Azerbaijan living in Lower Karabakh had environmental and humanitarian problems. Satellite images of Azerkosmos also prove the environmental crimes committed by Armenia.

During the war, the Armenians destroyed all vegetation in the area using banned phosphorus bombs. As a result of numerous deliberate fires in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, about 110,000 hectares of land have been destroyed.

In our liberated territories, there are specially protected natural areas with an area of more than 42,000 hectares - 2 state reserves and 4 state green spaces. These reserves were completely destroyed by the Armenians. Over the past 5 years, if 175 thousand cubic meters of forest were destroyed in Armenia, then in Nagorno-Karabakh this figure is 404.8 thousand cubic meters. In 2017 alone, 102,488 cubic meters of forest were cut down in Karabakh. In the period covering 2012-2016, the volume of deforestation in Karabakh was 2.3 times higher than in Armenia [2]. As a result of the fires set by the Armenians, irreparable damage was caused to nature, the forest cover was completely burned to the ground. Along with plants and shrubs, living organisms were also destroyed. Vineyards were broken up, and concrete pillars were used for military engineering fortifications. The deliberate destruction and burning of infrastructure continued even after the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia reached a tripartite agreement on 10 November 2020 for a complete cessation of hostilities.

A network of irrigation canals with a length of 6426 km, collector-drainage canals with a length of 185 km, 1429 artesian wells, 539 hydraulic structures, 220 hydroelectric power plants, 88 pumping stations, and 8 reservoirs with a total volume of 640 million m3 have been occupied for many years. There are also 10 reservoirs in the territories previously occupied by Armenians, including the Sarsang reservoir located on the Terter River (currently in the area of responsibility of Russian peacekeepers). The Sarsang reservoir with a capacity of 500 million cubic meters is designed to irrigate 100,000 hectares of agricultural land in Lower Karabakh. However, it is in disrepair due to a long absence of repairs, which poses a threat to 400,000 residents living in the foothills and central Aran regions of the region [3].

According to the requirements of the agreement dated November 10, 2020, by December 1 of the same year, Agdam, Kelbajar and Lachin regions were to be cleared of illegal Armenian usurpers. When the Armenian usurpers left our lands, they took all their property with them. They once again showed the world their cruelty by burning their houses, fields, equipment, forests, groves and shooting domestic animals. This vandalism of theirs once again became known to the whole world through Reuters, BBC, StraitTimes, Euronews, France24, RBC and many other media. These cruel people, who said: "Azerbaijanis should not be left with anything" set fire to hundreds of beehives.

Our natural water sources passing through the occupied territories have also been subjected to excessive pollution by Armenia. As a result of the strongest pollution by Armenia of Okchuchay and Agstafachay, which are tributaries of the Araz and Kura rivers, a great danger arose for the existence of the living world in the mentioned rivers.

The age of some eastern plane trees of the Basitchay State Nature Reserve is 12001500 years old, their trunks reach 4 m in diameter and more than 54 m in height. These giant trees, which have no analogues in Europe, were brutally destroyed by the invaders, and the Armenians who temporarily settled there used the Araz oak as fuel all year round. Uncontrolled mass cutting of an endemic species that grows only in this area in the world can be considered as ecological genocide.

In the occupied lands, the Armenians buried the radioactive waste brought from the Mesomorian nuclear power plant, poisoning it and making it unusable. Such wastes are mainly placed on the territory of Aghdam region. 250,000 ha of forests in these areas are contaminated with radioactive waste.

The ecological situation of the Araz River, which plays an important role in the natural environment of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, is even worse. Thus, the pollution of the Araz River by Armenia for many years caused the uprooting and reduction of valuable fish species. As a result of the destruction of 21 previously recorded fish species in the last 10-15 years, it was determined that they have decreased to 16 species [4].

A lot of work has already been done in the lands freed from occupation in more than two years since the Patriotic War. In parallel with the construction and restoration works, monitoring and research works are also continued by various institutions.

The Karabakh Revival Fund was established by the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. This fund provides financial support and attracts investments to the measures implemented in the direction of the restoration and reconstruction of the territories freed from occupation, the transformation of the region with a stable economy and high prosperity, the development of public-private partnership in this field, the necessary promotional activities will be carried out inside and outside the country.

After liberating the lands from occupation, Azerbaijan is taking important steps to restore the ecological situation in those areas. In the territories of Fuzuli, Zangilan and Aghdam regions, thousands of different types of trees, mainly Eastern sycamore, were planted, and the seeds of oak and other forest trees were sown. Tree planting actions are 155

being continued in Gubadli and Jabrayil. As long as all the areas freed from occupation are cleared of mines and brought to a safe state, tree planting measures are also continued [5].

The territories of the newly created national parks have also been determined. These are 20,000 hectares of the Lachin region, 20,000 hectares of the Gubadli region, 107 hectares of the Basitchay Reserve, 2,000 hectares of the Dashalta State Nature Reserve and the Arazboy Reserve.

In addition to the restoration of forests in the territories liberated from occupation, priority is given to such issues as the protection of tree roots and plant soil resources, the prevention of landslides and tree erosion, water retention and quality protection in river and coastal zones, the laying of new plantations and planting seedlings.

One of the main tasks facing us as part of the great return to the territories liberated from occupation is the restoration and improvement of the natural and high-quality ecosystem, biological diversity, as well as rare and endangered plant species in these territories. The restoration of the activities of the unique forest fund and protected natural complexes based on the use of modern approaches in these territories will create conditions for the transformation of the region as a whole into a "green zone". In the territories liberated from occupation, large-scale measures have been initiated to improve the environment and ensure the rational use of natural resources, preserve the network of specially protected natural areas, rare natural complexes and objects in their natural state.