Azerbaijan has urged Armenia to cease violations of the Bern Convention [on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats] and pay full reparation for environmental destruction, the Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan said in a statement.

The ministry noted that Azerbaijan’s first arbitration ever [arbitration proceedings against Armenia under the Bern Convention, to which both states are parties] took place on January 18, 2023, based on a wide range of evidence about the widespread environmental destruction caused by Armenia during its 30-year illegal occupation of Azerbaijan’s territories.

“On April 12, 2024, the Peace Palace at the Hague hosted the first formal proceedings in Azerbaijan’s claim within inter-state arbitration under the Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats.

In the arbitration, Azerbaijan asked the distinguished tribunal to order Armenia to cease all ongoing violations of the Bern Convention and pay full reparation for its environmental destruction.

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This arbitration will set an important precedent as a landmark step in environmental litigation-making and make the international legal obligations imposed on states related to biodiversity truly effective. It is also a serious effort to secure justice,” the statement concluded.