Armenia’s Ministry of the Environment has refuted reports that the Plane Grove Sanctuary, a part of the Zangezur Biosphere Complex, is now under Azerbaijani control.

The Plane Grove Sanctuary (PGS) holds the largest natural grove of oriental plane trees in the Caucasus. Several thousand-year-old trees form the sanctuary’s core along the Tzav river.

The PGS was established in 1958 and now covers 64.2 hectares in Armenia’s southeastern Syunik Province.

The Zangezur Biosphere Complex was established in 2013. Covering 79660.5 hectares it includes the Shikahogh State Reserve, the Khustup State Sanctuary, the Zangezur State Sanctuary, Arevik National Park, and the PGS.