The leadership of Armenia has illegally exploited more than 160 deposits of various precious metals in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan for nearly 30 years, Head of the Department of the Institute of Geology and Geophysics of Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS), Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences, Professor Musa Mammadov told QİA.AZ
According to Mammadov, most of the deposits are located in the Zangilan, Lachin, Aghdara and Khojavand districts.
“The gold mine in Zangilan was brutally exploited by the Armenians and their supporters without observing the ecological balance and using modern technologies. The sources of mineral waters in Kalbajar and Lachin, which are of great medical importance, were also brutally plundered by Armenian vandals. In general, the leadership of Armenia participated in the development of deposits in the occupied Azerbaijani lands, creating both foreign corporations and illegal companies in offshore zones,” said Mammadov.
“It is necessary to conduct scientific research to study the current state of the underground and surface resources of the completely liberated territory of Karabakh, assess the residual resources, conduct geological exploration using modern methods,” the scientist added.
Mammadov believes that joint activities of Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources and the ANAS for these purposes are necessary.