BAKU, Azerbaijan, Apr.2
Trend:
The Azerbaijani community of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan has issued a statement on the 27th anniversary of the occupation of the Kalbajar district by the Armenian armed forces, Trend reports on April 2.
“Armenia has been openly pursuing its aggressive policy for more than 30 years and the world community sees it,” the statement said.
“Azerbaijan’s Kalbajar district, the area of which is 1,936 square kilometers, was occupied by the Armenian armed forces twenty-seven years ago as a result of a large-scale offensive operation conducted from March 27 through April 2,” the statement said. “Kalbajar district is located outside the Nagorno-Karabakh region.”
“During the period of the occupation, Kalbajar district consisted of one city, one settlement and 122 villages with a total population of up to 60,000 people,” the document reads.
“The occupation of Azerbaijan’s Kalbajar district by the Armenian armed forces, in fact, brought the conflict to a new level,” the statement said.
Moreover, architectural monuments were looted, burned or destroyed on the territory of the Kalbajar district as a result of the occupation.
There are such gold deposits as Soyudlu (Zod) with 112.5 tons of reserves, Agduzdag and Tutkhun with over 13 tons of reserves on the territory of the Kalbajar region.
Furthermore, there are Agyatag, Levchay and Chorbulag deposits with total reserves of industrial mercury of 850 tons, Gamyshly and Agyar with reserves of more than 200 tons, Kilseli tuff deposit suitable for stone production with a reserve of more than 10,941 cubic meters, clay deposit in Keshdek with a reserve of 1,312 cubic meters suitable for making bricks, a perlite deposit in Kecheldag with a reserve of 4,473 cubic meters used as lightweight aggregate of concrete, two facing stone deposits with total reserves of 2.2 million cubic meters, mixed sand and gravel deposits of Chapli field with a reserve of 2,540 cubic meters, four deposits of marble onyx with decorative properties (reserves of 1,756 tons), a nephroid deposit (801 tons), one obsidian deposit with reserves of 2,337 tons, one foliage deposit with reserves of 1,067 tons.
“There are such sources of mineral water in the occupied territory as Yukhara Istisu, Ashagi Istisu, Keshdak, Garasu, Tutkhun, Mozchay, Goturlusu, which have valuable medicinal and balneological properties (3,093 cubic meters) thanks to which Kalbajar gained world fame. Kalbajar city is surrounded by mountain ranges of Murovdag, Shahdag, Vardenis, Mykhtoken, Karabakh and Karabakh highlands. The highest points are Jamysh dag (3,724 meters) and Delidag (3,616 meters). There are volcanic rocks belonging to the Upper Cretaceous, Paleogene, Neogene, and Anthropogenes in the district. The biggest river is Tartar (the upper reaches) and its branches – Lev, Tutgunchay and others,” the document said.
The statement reads that the Sarsang reservoir, which is currently under occupation, was built in 1976 on Tartarchay river. From the moment when the reservoir was occupied, Armenians intentionally dump 85-90 percent of water in winter when there is no acute need for water.
When there is a need, then they dump 10-15 percent. This leads to a decrease in water level, which makes irrigation impossible. Great damage is being caused to the sown areas. Green areas are ruined without water. The great environmental tension arises. The population of 400,000 people living below the reservoir, which is in disrepair, is under constant threat, said the statement.