The statements made by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on September 22 at a meeting dedicated to the State Program for the Development of the Mining and Metallurgy Industry have once again brought to the agenda the issue of the fate of natural resources in the liberated territories.
Modern.az recalls that the President stated in his speech that during the occupation, 60 thousand hectares of forest fund in Kalbajar, Lachin, and Zangilan districts were destroyed, plundered, cut down, and sold. According to the head of state, a part of these forests was burned when the territories came out of the control of the Armenian armed forces after the Second Karabakh War.
“Everyone remembers well, they destroyed both trees and did not forget about plumbing,” the President said.
60 thousand hectares of forest loss
This figure is not the first time it has been voiced by the Azerbaijani leadership. President Ilham Aliyev also stated in 2022 during the groundbreaking ceremony of the “Istisu” sanatorium in Kalbajar that 60 thousand hectares of forest fund were destroyed during the occupation. In that speech, the head of state noted that in addition to cutting down trees, rivers were polluted, buildings were demolished, and gold deposits were illegally exploited.
In 2023, while receiving Masim Mammadov, the special representative in Lachin district, the President also stated that 60 thousand hectares were destroyed, cut down, plundered, and sold as a result of the illegal exploitation of the forest fund.
Thus, the issue is not limited to the felling of individual trees. It is about Azerbaijan's claims regarding the systematic exploitation of forest resources over many years.
Along with forests, underground resources were also exploited
The damage reportedly inflicted on natural resources during the years of occupation was not limited to forests.
The decree of the President of Azerbaijan dated April 1, 2026, also states that the commissioning of promising deposits in the liberated territories is one of the main directions for the development of the country's mining and metallurgy industry. The document draws attention to the importance of deposits in Kalbajar, Aghdara, and Zangilan districts in this regard.
In the President's speech at the meeting on September 22, it was stated that gold, copper, and molybdenum deposits were plundered during the occupation. The head of state said that the re-evaluation of existing deposits in the liberated territories using modern geological methods and the expansion of production are among the main directions for the upcoming period.
In this regard, the restoration of the liberated territories is not only the reconstruction of settlements but also the inventory of natural resources and their return to economic circulation.
Forests were also burned when the territories were returned
According to the trilateral statement signed in November 2020, the Armenian armed forces were to withdraw from Aghdam, Kalbajar, and Lachin districts within specified deadlines. The OSCE document from that period also mentions the specified deadline for Armenia's withdrawal from Kalbajar and Lachin.
Numerous reports were spread about the burning of residential houses and other objects on the eve of the handover of the territories.
The documents submitted by Azerbaijan to the UN also contained information about the burning of houses, schools, and other civilian objects, the dismantling of electrical infrastructure and other economic elements, the felling of trees, and the burning of forests during that period.
UN documents, based on information provided by Azerbaijan, also reflect claims regarding the destruction of forests, felling of trees, and exploitation of natural resources in the occupied territories. One of the materials submitted to the UN in 2020 indicates that information on timber transportation from forests and the environmental impact of mining activities was presented based on satellite images.
Ecological consequences can last for years
Forest destruction does not only mean a reduction in trees in that area. Forests play an important role in protecting soil from erosion, regulating water resources, maintaining biodiversity, and climate processes.
Therefore, ecological restoration in the liberated territories is considered a long-term process. This is not just about planting trees, but about restoring forest ecosystems.
A major ecological restoration process lies ahead
Currently, several processes are being carried out in parallel in the liberated territories: clearing areas of mines and unexploded ordnance, building settlements, constructing roads and communications, creating water and energy infrastructure, studying natural resources, and ecological restoration.
Each of these processes is interdependent. To carry out reforestation work in mine-contaminated areas, the safety issue must first be resolved. At the same time, protecting the natural landscape during new infrastructure projects is also one of the important issues.
The natural resources of Kalbajar, Lachin, and Zangilan are not only a part of Azerbaijan's economic potential. The forests, rivers, mountains, and biodiversity of these territories are also important for the country's ecological security.
The figure of 60 thousand hectares voiced by President Ilham Aliyev in his recent speech draws attention precisely from this point of view. The scale of the damage reportedly inflicted on natural resources during the occupation shows why the restoration process is long-term and systematic.
Now the main issue is not only calculating the lost forest areas. In the coming years, it is about re-greening these territories, protecting natural ecosystems, and preserving Azerbaijan's rich natural resources for future generations.
Because while it is possible to rebuild a destroyed structure, the restoration of a forest ecosystem that has formed over decades requires more time and a consistent ecological policy.
Gular Huseynli
