SERIOUS POLITICAL OBSTACLES EXIST IN SOUTH CAUCASUS TO SETTLE ECOLOGICAL PROBLEMS: OSCE ENVOY
Trend News Agency
April 10 2008
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan, Baku, 10 April /corr. TrendNews K.Ramazanova / Destroying
natural resources in occupied Azerbaijani territories adversely
affect the population in the neighboring countries, the UN Resident
Co-ordinator in Azerbaijan, Bruno Pueza, said on 10 April in Baku
during the seminar ‘Environment and security initiatives’.
"As a result of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, 20% of the Azerbaijani
territories has been occupied, where the forests are being cut down
and burnt, water of rivers and other sources are being polluted and
incorrectly utilized," Pueza said.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries appeared in 1988
due to Armenian territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenia has
occupied 20% of the Azerbaijani lands including the Nagorno-Karabakh
region and its seven surrounding districts. Since 1992 to the present
time, these territories have been under Armenian occupation. In 1994,
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a cease-fire agreement at which time
the active hostilities ended. The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group
(Russia, France and USA) are holding peaceful negotiations.
According to the UN representative, the ecological problems affect
the future development of the country. "Azerbaijan should attentively
approach its natural resources," he said.
There are serious political obstacles in South Caucasus to settle
the ecological problems, said the Head of the OSCE Office in Baku,
Luis Herrero Ansola.
Additionally, Herrero highlighted the importance of realizing joint
measures to prevent the problem with pollution of the rivers and the
Caspian Sea, as well as the cutting down of the forests.
"Ecological problems present a threat to the Country’s security,"
he said.
Some 60% of the Azerbaijan section of the Caspian Sea has become
polluted due to the Volga River. Azerbaijan has repeatedly expressed
its dissatisfaction to Russia in this regard.
As Armenia and Georgia have not joined the Convention on clean-up of
trans-border waters, the Rivers of Kur and Araz have become polluted
in these countries. Azerbaijan, who joined the Convention, installed
clean-up equipment on the borders with these countries to monitor
the pollution level of Kur and Araz.
Last year 31,400 cu.m of Azerbaijani forest area was cut down
illegally. The forests make up 11.4% of the Azerbaijani territories.