Azerbaijan filed a lawsuit against Armenia to the Secretariat of the Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context (ESPOO) over non-compliance with the Convention provisions when constructing a new nuclear reactor in the territory of Armenia, head of Environmental Protection Policy Department of Ecology and Natural Resources Ministry of Azerbaijan said.

According to Rasim Sattarzadeh, Geneva will host a consecutive meeting of ESPOO Executive Committee during which Azeri suit against Armenian will be discussed. Armenia plans to construct a new nuclear reactor in the territory of Metsamor NPP. Sattarzadeh, stressed the need for Armenia, as a party to ESPOO, to inform its neighboring countries of its forthcoming activities that may have any environmental impact and involve these states in the impact assessment process, trend.az reports.

“Document on environmental impact along with the one on nuclear reactor construction must be presented to the Azerbaijani side for the latter to express its standpoint as well. However, Armenia stated its intention to implement the environmental assessment in line of the convention. That is the reason Azerbaijan sued Armenia over non-compliance of the Convention provisions,” Sattarzadeh said.

“Armenia in return filed a lawsuit against Azerbaijan to ESPOO Secretariat over non-participation in the environmental impact assessment of major oil projects implemented in Azerbaijan,” he said.

Sattarzadeh who deems the lawsuit absolutely unfounded, noted that these projects will have no impact on Armenian environment due to implementation of majority of oil projects in the Caspian Sea and the Absheron peninsula.

“Azerbaijan joined ESPOO Convention in 1999, with implementation of the projects launched in 1994-1996. Afterwards the document on environmental impact assessment was adopted. The documents proved that the projects have no impact in the Transboundary Context,” he said.

PanARMENIAN.Net news agency contacted the relevant institutions for clarifying the situation. They will provide explanations in near future.