TODAY.AZ / Politics

PACE demands Armenia’s immediate pullout from Sarsang reservoir zone

24 November 2015 [20:03] - TODAY.AZ

/By AzerNews/

By Sara Rajabova

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has made a decision on the long-debated issue -- the Sarsang reservoir, which has been under Armenian occupation for many years and is a source of great danger for the whole region.

PACE Committee on Social Affairs adopted on November 23 the draft resolution "Intentional Deprivation of Inhabitants of Azerbaijani Border Regions of Water."

Elkhan Suleymanov, a member of Azerbaijani delegation to PACE said the adopted document assesses the deliberate creation of the ecological crisis as "ecological aggression."

Sarsang, Azerbaijan’s highest water reservoir, which is situated 726 meters above sea level, was built on top of the Tartar River during the Soviet times in 1976. Since 1992, the Sarsang reservoir has been under the control of the Armenian armed forces, and as a result, frontline regions have been deprived of water.

The mentioned document noted that the creation of ecological disaster zones and an attempt to make it impossible for the normal living of the population in these areas should be seen as a hostile move of one state against another, and condition of the Sarsang dam can cause casualties and disasters, leading to a new humanitarian crisis.

The PACE demanded an immediate withdrawal of Armenian troops from the zone of Sarsang reservoir, and called for ending the use of water resources for the benefit of one of the parties to the conflict or as a means of pressure on the other.

In the meantime, Azerbaijan’s Deputy Premier Ali Ahmadov spoke about the topicality of threats posed by Armenian occupation of the reservoir.

Noting that Armenia occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijani territory, Ahmadov warned about sabotage threats in the Sarsang dam.

He called on international organizations to take measures to prevent possible sabotage by Armenia in the reservoir.

The PACE also condemned the refusal of the parliamentary delegation and the government of Armenia to cooperate in the preparation of this report. This treatment counteracts Armenia's obligations as a full member of the PACE, the document said.

Armenia is not interested in the monitoring of the Sarsang water reservoir and with different pretexts rejects requests by the PACE rapporteur to observe the situation on the ground.

Milica Markovic, MP from Bosnia and Herzegovina, is the rapporteur for the issue of the intentional deprivation of access to water for residents of border territories of Azerbaijan.

Earlier, Markovic repeatedly said she was not allowed to visit Armenia and occupied Azerbaijani lands.

Earlier in October, PACE committee on social affairs, health, and sustainable development decided that the report would be prepared and submitted to the PACE without involving Armenia unless the latter abandons its positions.

Hikmet Hajiyev, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, said Armenia uses Sarsang reservoir as an instrument of terror.

He made the remark while commenting on Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan’s statement on the PACE rapporteur’s report.

Kocharyan said “with its report on the Sarsang reservoir, the PACE social affairs committee plays into Azerbaijan’s hands.” He also accused PACE rapporteur for avoiding visit to the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh.

Hajiyev went on to say that Kocharyan’s statement is yet another proof of the fact that Armenia did not allow the PACE mission to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan during preparation of the report and an evidence of the inhuman policy of the country.

Armenia mobilized all resources to prevent the appointment of a rapporteur on this issue and even attempted to hinder the position at the state level.

During the 20 years of occupation, the technical facilities and equipment of the Sarsang reservoir are in dire conditions due to a lack of maintenance and up keep. The probability of the destruction as a result of malfunction, natural disaster, or sabotage is extremely high and is now a real threat for Azerbaijan.

Armenia uses the water reservoir to subject the six Azerbaijani regions downstream to flooding by releasing runoff from the reservoir in winter months, and causes serious damage to the agriculture of nearby regions by preventing water runoff in the summer.

Azerbaijan and Armenia have been locked in conflict for over two decades. Armenia occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions, after laying territorial claims against its South Caucasus neighbor that sparked a lengthy war in the early 1990s.

The UN Security Council has adopted four resolutions on Armenian withdrawal, but they have not been enforced to date.

URL: http://www.today.az/news/politics/145434.html

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