Events Overview

On December 3, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Ecology stated that natural resources are illegally exploited in the Karabakh area, where Russian forces are stationed. Based on a request from the Ministry of Ecology, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense contacted Russian peacekeepers to observe and confirm the illegal mining of minerals.

On the same day at about 11:00 AM, officers from the Ministry of Ecology, the State Service for Real Estate, and "AzerGold" visited the Russian troops' roadblock between Stepanakert/Khankendi and Shusha.

At 01:00 PM, the Lachin passageway was closed by Azerbaijanis. According to reports in Armenia, this allegedly occurred in Shusha. They assert that several men dressed in black committed this act.

At 04:00 PM, the road was opened after the agreement between the Russian and Azerbaijani sides.

On December 10, Caucasus Watch reported that the visit of Azerbaijani environmentalists was coordinated with the Russian peacekeeping troops in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Azerbaijan sent a note of protest to Russia.

On December 11, Azerbaijan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs submitted a note to Russia regarding peacekeepers.

Aykhan Hajizada, the head of the Press Service Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, said that the Azerbaijani side has repeatedly appealed to the command of the peacekeeping contingent to prevent the illegal exploitation of natural resources in the Azerbaijani territories where the Russian peacekeeping contingent is temporarily stationed, as well as to eliminate the consequences of the negative impact on the environment.

"In many cases, these appeals from the Azerbaijani side were not answered, and no measures were taken to prevent the illegal exploitation of Azerbaijan's natural resources by the peacekeeping contingent. Since December 3 of this year, negotiations have been held between the representatives of the relevant state institutions of Azerbaijan and the Russian peacekeeping contingent to determine the methods of the visit and monitoring of Azerbaijani experts in the area," the report added.

Hajizada noted that despite the attempt by Azerbaijani representatives to visit these two areas where minerals are illegally exploited on December 10, according to the agreement reached, this visit was obstructed.

"Even though the Russian peacekeeping contingent did not take any measures, the pre-planned action of the residents prevented the visit. In connection with this situation, Azerbaijan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs submitted a corresponding note to the Russian side. By the agreement reached, ensuring the unhindered access of the Azerbaijani representatives to the mentioned fields, it was emphasized that it was unacceptable to obstruct such a trip or to put forward any conditions. The necessity of strictly observing the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan in all its activities by the Russian peacekeeping contingent deployed by the tripartite statement of November 10, 2020, has been brought to attention," the Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

Azerbaijanis have set up a tent on the Lachin-Stepanakert/Khankendi road

On December 12, some young people and members of a non-governmental organization from Azerbaijan set up a tent on the Shusha-Lachin road and held a protest.

They demand the prevention of the exploitation of some useful deposits located in Karabakh.

About 200 people gathered in front of the post under the temporary control of Russian peacekeepers on the road from Shusha to Stepanakert/Khankendi. They protested against the obstacle a group of Azerbaijani experts created to inspect the exploitation of gold and copper-molybdenum deposits in Karabakh.

In a statement issued by the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, it is said that the main demand of these protests is to stop the exploitation of the deposits and to create conditions for assessing the damage.

State-owned AzTV said that Russian peacekeepers are obstructing the process by preventing those who want to go to the area and observe. In the video images provided by AzTV, it can be seen that Azerbaijani citizens are standing face to face with Russian peacekeepers, setting up tents near their post, and military equipment is being deployed in the area on the side of Russian peacekeepers.

Azerbaijani soldiers also came to the gathering area. They protected the Azerbaijani people and warned Russian peacekeepers not to touch Azerbaijani protesters.

Putin Calls Aliyev and Pashinyan after the events

On December 12, Vladimir Putin called Ilham Aliyev, the Press Office of the Azerbaijani President reported. During the phone conversation, the presidents discussed several practical aspects of the implementation of the agreements between the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia of November 10, 2020, January 11, and November 26, 2021, as well as October 31, 2022, including plans to restore economic and logistical ties in the South Caucasus.

On the same day, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a telephone conversation with the President of Vladimir Putin, the Press Office of the Armenian Prime Minister reported. The interlocutors discussed issues related to resolving the situation in the Lachin Corridor. Prime Minister Pashinyan emphasized the importance of ensuring uninterrupted communication between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh and the implementation of consistent steps by the Russian peacekeeping mission in that direction. Reference was made to the process of unblocking the regional infrastructure, as well as to the implementation of the tripartite announcements of November 9, 2020, January 11, 2021, November 26, and October 31, 2022.