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Expected humanitarian catastrophe caused by the dangerous condition of the Sarsang water reservoir in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan

Motion for a resolution | Doc. 13270 | 03 July 2013

Signatories:
Mr Elkhan SULEYMANOV, Azerbaijan, EPP/CD ; Ms Sirkka-Liisa ANTTILA, Finland, ALDE ; Mr Josep Anton BARDINA PAU, Andorra, ALDE ; Mr Jean-Marie BOCKEL, France, EPP/CD ; Ms Rossana BOLDI, Italy, EDG ; Ms Sílvia Eloïsa BONET PEROT, Andorra, SOC ; Ms Giuliana CARLINO, Italy, ALDE ; Mr Agustín CONDE, Spain, EPP/CD ; Mr Paolo CORSINI, Italy, SOC ; Mr Şaban DİŞLİ, Turkey, EPP/CD ; Ms Tülin ERKAL KARA, Turkey, EDG ; Ms Sevinj FATALIYEVA, Azerbaijan, EDG ; Ms Sahiba GAFAROVA, Azerbaijan, EDG ; Mr Gerardo GIOVAGNOLI, San Marino, SOC ; Mr Zbigniew GIRZYŃSKI, Poland, NR ; Mr Mike HANCOCK, United Kingdom, ALDE ; Ms Nermina KAPETANOVIĆ, Bosnia and Herzegovina, EPP/CD ; Mr Burhan KAYATÜRK, Turkey, EPP/CD ; Mr Thierry MARIANI, France, EPP/CD ; Sir Alan MEALE, United Kingdom, SOC ; Mr Fazil MUSTAFA, Azerbaijan, ALDE ; Mr Pasquale NESSA, Italy, EPP/CD ; Mr Aleksandar NIKOLOSKI, ''The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia'', EPP/CD ; Mr José Ignacio PALACIOS, Spain, EPP/CD ; Ms Lajla PERNASKA, Albania, EPP/CD ; Mr John Paul PHELAN, Ireland, EPP/CD ; Mr Cezar Florin PREDA, Romania, EPP/CD ; Mr Gabino PUCHE, Spain, EPP/CD ; Ms Carmen QUINTANILLA, Spain, EPP/CD ; Mr Rovshan RZAYEV, Azerbaijan, EPP/CD ; Ms Luz Elena SANÍN, Spain, EPP/CD ; Mr Giacomo SANTINI, Italy, EPP/CD ; Mr Giuseppe SARO, Italy, EPP/CD ; Mr Stefan SCHENNACH, Austria, SOC ; Mr Jouko SKINNARI, Finland, SOC ; Mr Yanaki STOILOV, Bulgaria, SOC ; Mr Giacomo STUCCHI, Italy, EDG ; Mr Oreste TOFANI, Italy, EPP/CD ; Mr Latchezar TOSHEV, Bulgaria, EPP/CD ; Mr Tuğrul TÜRKEŞ, Turkey, EDG ; Mr Ahmet Kutalmiş TÜRKEŞ, Turkey, EDG ; Mr Egidijus VAREIKIS, Lithuania, EPP/CD ; Mr Luigi VITALI, Italy, EPP/CD ; Mr Luca VOLONTÈ, Italy, EPP/CD ; Mr Łukasz ZBONIKOWSKI, Poland, NR

The Sarsang reservoir is the highest water reservoir of Azerbaijan, situated at 726 meters above sea level (with a dam of 125 meters high and a capacity of 560 million cubic meters) and was built on the Tartar River in 1976. The reservoir is actually located in the territories occupied by the Armenian military forces and is currently kept under their control.

The Parliamentary Assembly stresses the dangerous condition of Sarsang reservoir, which is of vital importance for the Azerbaijani inhabitants of the surrounding non-occupied provinces of Azerbaijan, due to a lack of maintenance as a result of occupation. The threat of a possible collapse for various reasons seriously endangers the lives of 400,000 people of seven provinces of Azerbaijan, and may cause an accident leading to mass casualties and to a new humanitarian crisis.

The Assembly therefore strongly condemns the illegal blockade by Armenia of water supplies and irrigation systems in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, in breach with fundamental principles of international law, and considers this abuse of power by Armenia as inhuman.

The Assembly urges the Armenian military forces to hand over their illegal control of this water reservoir and related irrigation systems to the Azerbaijani authorities, in compliance with previous international resolutions.

The Assembly should call for an immediate action from the international community to prevent any scenarios of military diversion and to be prepared for any accident or natural disaster which may provoke massive human casualties.