MFA_Report_on_the_occupied_territories_March_2016_1

XIII. Systematic pillaging, exploitation of and illicit trade in assets, natural resources and
other forms of wealth in the occupied territories
The occupied territories of Azerbaijan are rich in natural resources. There are around 155
deposits of precious stones, minerals and base metals, including deposits of non-ferrous metal
ores, gold, mercury, copper, lead and zinc, pearlite and other natural resources. 414 Among them
are gold-copper-pyrite deposits in Gyzylbulag, copper-gold, molybdenum deposits in Demirli,
Armenia’s Vallex Group through its Base Metals subsidiary exploits Gyzylbulag underground gold and copper mine near Heyvaly village
in the occupied Kalbajar district
│Photo from www.bm.am│12 June 2012
Janyatag-Gulyatag (occupied parts of the Tartar district); gold deposits in Soyudlu, Agduzdag,
Tutkhum (Kalbajar); gold deposits in Vejnali (Zangilan); lead deposits in Mehmana, Shorbulag
(Kalbajar); and mercury deposits in Sarybulag, Agyatag, Levchay, Shorbulag, Qamishli, Aggaya
(Kalbajar, Lachyn), Chilgazchay, Narzanly (Lachyn).
The occupied territories are also rich in
different types of building materials, including
face stone, block stone, different types of
construction stones, loam, sang-gravel
chromite, lime, marble and agate. There are lime
and clays deposits in Chobandag, Shahbulag,
Boyahmedi (Aghdam); marble deposits in
Harovdad and Shorbulag; tuff deposits in
Kilseli (Kalbajar); pearlite deposits in Kechaldag
(Kalbajar) etc. 415 Furthermore, there are more
than 120 mineral water deposits. Among them
are Yukhary (Upper) and Ashahy (Lower) Istisu,
Bagyrsag and Keshdak in the Kalbajar district;
Iligsu and Minkend in the Lachyn district;
Turshsu and Sirlan in the Shusha district.
Sweden's Atlas Copco Wagner underground mine truck of
Armenia’s Vallex Group is seen working in the underground
Gyzylbulag gold and copper mine near Heyvaly village in the
occupied Kalbajar district
│Photo from www.bm-old.vallexgroup.am
Pillage of the occupied territories, including destruction, dismantling of infrastructure, such as
notorious stripping of scrap metals, pipes, bricks and other construction materials from the ruins
of the Azerbaijani households and public buildings, abandoned by fleeing Azerbaijani population,
has been widely reported in the past. 416 If such looting was previously conducted by the individual
Armenian settlers and soldiers, this practice is currently replaced with more organized system of
pillage, under the direction and control of Armenia, with the scope and the geographic area of
that embezzlement dramatically expanded to include also depredatory exploitation and pillage
of natural resources and other forms of wealth across the occupied territories. 417
414
See fact sheet of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Azerbaijan, available at ; See also UN Doc. A/58/594-S/2003/1090, 13 November 2003; “Armenian-Azerbaijan, Nagorny Karabakh
Conflict”, .
415
See the report “Minerals of Azerbaijan”, Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Azerbaijan, available at .
416
See e.g.“Tug-of-war for Nagorno-Karabakh”, BBC News, 03 June 2000, ; “Norashenik Village Project”.
417
See “The regions of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic in Figures, 2007-2013” (in Russian language), ; “Russia Seizes Subsoil of Armenia and Karabakh from Oligarchs”, Iragir.
am, 11 October 2013, .
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