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Azerbaijan continues mass deforestation in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), environmental specialist Ayser Ghazaryan has warned.

“This years-long process in Lachin (Berdzor) is nearing completion. A large airport was built in the area of several villages in Lachin where some 100 hectares of forest was cut down. This is a major environmental problem,” Ghazaryan told Panorama.am in an interview on Saturday.

He also pointed to the construction of other infrastructure, including high-voltage electricity junctions, in the Lachin district.

Ghazaryan warned of large-scale deforestation in other settlements of Artsakh for construction of new roads and mining operations amid Azerbaijan’s resettlement plans.

“It's a pity that the Artsakh Republic’s authorized body or non-state actors have failed to raise awareness about the destruction of ecosystems in Artsakh," he said.

Ghazaryan believes the issue should be raised on international platforms, including at the 29th annual UN climate conference (COP29) in Baku in November.

"We must make every effort to somehow influence the eastern enemy, otherwise we will be losing all the time," Ghazaryan added.