Posted by 
A rapporteur of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) will address the parliament with a report on Armenia’s “water terrorism”.
Azerbaijani Deputy Minister of Agriculture Ilham Guliyev met with a delegation headed by the Rapporteur of the PACE Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development Milica Markovic August 25.
The aim of the delegation’s visit is to prepare a report entitled “Intentional deprivation of the inhabitants of Azerbaijani border regions of water.”
During the meeting Guliyev informed the guests that historically Azerbaijan is an agrarian country. After gaining independence, the economy is being rapidly developed. The country’s leadership attaches great importance to the agrarian sector. Important decisions and orders related to the development of this industry are made, the Ministry of Agriculture told Trend.
“As a result of the occupation of the Sarsang reservoir by Armenian aggressors, water has not been supplied for many years for irrigating the Tartar, Barda, Goranboy, Yevlakh and Agjabadi districts,” Guliyev said. “This causes irreparable damage to the economy of this region.”
“Armenians deliberately use water in an excess volume, particularly, in autumn and winter at night, by posing a threat of flooding the villages in these areas and thereby sowing fear and panic among people,” he said.
“As a result of care of the head of state for this area, 586 artesian wells were drilled on the area within the scope of Sarsang reservoir in order to improve water supply to crops. This requires additional budgetary funds,” said the deputy minister.
He went on to add that construction of many facilities of land reclamation and water industry remained unfinished in the zone of occupation, and over time they all have been destroyed and put out of action.
“About 500,000 residents in the flood zone of Tartar and Barda districts, as well as those residing in more than 130 settlements of Agdere, Barda, Tartar, Zardab and Agdash districts are living under a real threat as a result of targeted actions and provocations of the Armenians,” Guliyev said.
The deputy minister informed the guests that the water resources of the Samur transboundary river are used in full accordance with the intergovernmental agreement between Russia and Azerbaijan, while the use of water and energy resources of the Araz river is governed by a joint Iranian-Azerbaijani commission.
PACE rapporteur expressed gratitude for a warm reception and said that this is her second visit to Azerbaijan. She also noted that she is familiar with the difficulties in water supply of the residents of regions bordering with Armenia.
Milica Markovic went on to add that on the basis of the collected materials she will give a speech in the parliament with a report on the deliberate deprivation of water of the inhabitants of bordering regions.
Trend.az
