OSCE: AZERBAIJANI SIDE’S ACCUSATIONS OF INTENTIONAL ARSONS GROUNDLESS

Regnum, Russia
Oct 15 2006

Fires which have recurred in some Nagorno Karabakh areas for the
last months were caused by natural climatic reasons, OSCE Yerevan
office head, ambassador Vladimir Pryakhin stated during his meeting
with Armenian National Security Council secretary, defense minister
Serge Sargsyan.

As REGNUM was informed by the defense ministry spokesman Colonel Seyran
Shakhsuvaryan, Vladimir Pryakhin presented outcomes of monitoring
carried out recently by international organizations and mediated by
the OSCE.

It was ascertained that fires which have been engulfing several Nagorno
Karabakh areas for the last months have natural climatic causes,
and the Azerbaijani side’s accusations of intentional arsons were
groundless. According to the conclusion of international environmental
protection organizations, a powerful fire-prevention system has to
be created in the zone.

The OSCE Mission on ecological situation’s evaluation performed
the monitoring in the border zone between Nagorno Karabakh and
Azerbaijan. The mission is comprised of representatives of the USA,
Germany, Macedonia, Switzerland, Italy, France, Moldova, and Estonia,
as well as experts from Nagorno Karabakh, and Azerbaijan. According
to the Nagorno Karabakh Emergency directorate, the main damage was
inflicted on grain crops on the area of 2,064 hectares. The whole
damage caused by the fires totaled 3.5bln of drams.