Envoy in India protests at gold production in occupied Azeri land
ANS TV, Baku
16 Feb 05
[Presenter] The Azerbaijani embassy in Delhi has called on the Indian
Foreign Ministry to clarify the issue of involvement of an Indian
company in the development of gold fields in [Azerbaijan’s occupied
district of] Kalbacar.
[Correspondent, over archive video of Kalbacar] The Azerbaijani
ambassador to India, Tamerlan Qarayev, went to the Indian Foreign
Ministry today to discuss the involvement of the Indian company in
the development of gold fields in Kalbacar and to demand clarification.
[Tamerlan Qarayev, captioned, speaking over phone and his still]
I had a meeting with the secretary of the [Indian Foreign] ministry,
Mr (?Rajiv Dogra). I passed on the information we received from our
foreign ministry. Mr Dogra said he needed time to look into the issue
and asked us to come back.
[Correspondent] Qarayev said that it was first thought that the company
working in Kalbacar belonged not to India, but to Great Britain.
[Qarayev, captioned, speaking over phone] Not India, but Great Britain
has such a company, but the owner and all the staff are Indians. But it
is a British company. A Canadian company was also mentioned before. It
was not an Indian company, but Indians were alleged to have shares
in it.
[Correspondent] Qarayev said that the unlawfulness of such operations
in the occupied territories and its harm to bilateral relations had
been mentioned to the Indian leadership. They had been asked to take
serious measures in this regard.
[Qarayev, captioned, speaking over phone] Kalbacar is our territory and
Mr Dogra reiterated that India recognizes and respects Azerbaijan’s
territorial integrity and sovereignty and has established diplomatic
relations with Azerbaijan. There will be a thorough investigation into
the work of the Indian company in Azerbaijan’s occupied territories
and I have no doubt that there will be results.
[Correspondent] It is noteworthy that Ashot Azadyan, one of the four
[Armenian] servicemen taken captive near the front line in Karabakh at
different times in 2004 reported the involvement of Indian workers in
gold production in Kalbacar. The (?US RB Investment Service) group of
companies received a licence to work in these fields under a contract
signed in 1997. But a spokesman for the company said that it cannot
start production since Kalbacar is under occupation and therefore
their safety is not ensured.
Zamina Aliyev for ANS