BAKU (RFE/RL) -- The environmental head of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) says the company has only cleaned some 500 acres of oil-polluted land since 2006.
But Azer Aliyev told RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service that Azerbaijan spends far less money cleaning polluted land than other oil-producing countries do, though he did not provide details.
Azerbaijani environmentalists have complained for several years about the lack of protections for the environment in the Caspian Sea region as oil and gas production rapidly increases.
But Azer Aliyev told RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service that Azerbaijan spends far less money cleaning polluted land than other oil-producing countries do, though he did not provide details.
Azerbaijani environmentalists have complained for several years about the lack of protections for the environment in the Caspian Sea region as oil and gas production rapidly increases.
