Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev criticized Armenia for constructing a metallurgical plant in Yeraskh, along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, without its consent.

Aliyev, according to Azerbaijani state news agency AzerTac, says international conventions demand that such potentially polluting enterprises can only be constructed if the neighboring countries agree.

Aliyev, according to AzerTac, said Azerbaijani NGOs have appealed to the Armenian authorities regarding the construction of the factory.

"I think that the government of Azerbaijan should not remain sidelined here either. It is very good that our civil society is taking this step. But it is necessary to see what organizations, officially, on the state line, should be addressed for Armenia to abandon this dangerous practice. If they want to create some enterprise, then of course we cannot have anything to do with it, it is their internal business. But if that enterprise is located only 500 meters from our border and dangerous materials will be used there, which will then be spilled into the Arax and Voghji rivers, then this becomes our issue," Aliyev said.

Yerevan has repeatedly accused Baku of opening fire on the construction site, injuring two India nationals on June 14.