AZERBAIJAN AIMS TO UNDERMINE NKR FOOD SECURITY

PanARMENIAN.Net
10.10.2006 14:16 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The main causes of the ignition of fields in
the borderline zone are unprecedented drought, hostile actions of
Azerbaijan – Azerbaijani servicemen were burning dry grass on the
neutral territory and used tracer bullet while shooting, Deputy
Foreign Minister of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic Masis Mayilian
stated at a meeting with members of the OSCE Mission on assessment
of the ecological situation in the borderline zone between Nagorno
Karabakh and Azerbaijan. "The Azerbaijani party pursues the aim to
undermine the food security of the NKR. As a result of the fires
damage of 3.5 billion drams was caused to Nagorno Karabakh. At the
same time it is comforting that the fires did not cause damage to the
ecological environment: the crops of cereals were mainly burning",
Masis Mayilian said.

At the same time he spoke for the necessity of joint actions of the
Karabakh and Azerbaijani structures. He noted that even in 2001
the NKR authorities had offered Azerbaijan a complex of measures
on establishing confidence (over 20 proposals), one of which
supposed working out mechanisms of preventive measures of pasture
ignition. "However, the proposals of the Karabakh party were turned
down by Baku and the mediators themselves did not demonstrate necessary
support. If our suggestions were accepted the current situation would
have never occur. We are ready to cooperate with Azerbaijan now but,
unfortunately, Baku does not get into contact with the Karabakh party
even around the issues of mutual interest", Masis Mayilian noted.

The Deputy Foreign Minister answered numerous questions of the Mission
members who thanked him for comprehensive information. Representatives
of the NKR Foreign Ministry, Defense Ministry, Ministry of Industrial
Infrastructures and Territorial Department, State Department on Ecology
also took part in the meeting. The OSCE Mission which will conduct the
monitoring of the borderline zone with Azerbaijan in Nagorno Karabakh
for 3 days includes representatives of the USA, Germany, Macedonia,
Switzerland, Italy, France, Moldova and Estonia.

It should be reminded that on October 5-7 the OSCE Mission conducted
similar monitoring from the Azerbaijani side with the participation
of the Karabakh experts. The NKR Deputy Foreign Minister expressed
dissatisfaction by the fact that the recent discussions in Vienna
on the issues of fires had been conducted without representatives
of Nagorno Karabakh – the most concerned party. "You know that this
monitoring was almost disrupted and thanks to our efforts it was
carried out. But currently 15 % of the territory of Nagorno Karabakh
is occupied by Azerbaijan: the eastern part of the Martouni region,
north-eastern part of the Martakert region, the whole Shahoumian
region. If we had had an opportunity to participate in the preparatory
part of the monitoring we’d have managed to send the Mission to
the territories we are concerned in We are greatly sorry that the
international experts will not visit the territory of the Shahoumian
region as we greatly bother about the ecological situation established
there. According to our data mass felling of woods is carried out
there, as well as fires take place", Masis Mayilian noted, reports
NKR MFA Press Office.