Azerbaijan Aims to Undermine NKR Food Security

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.