Nagorno Karabakh President Press Secretary David Babayan. (Source: Panorama.am)

STEPANAKERT (Combined Sources) — According to the Nagorno-Karabakh President Press Secretary David Babayan, adoption of “Sarsang” resolution in Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) is a setback in European democracy.

PACE approved the resolution entitled “Inhabitants of frontier regions of Azerbaijan are deliberately deprived of water” (rapporteur Milica Markovic, Bosnia and Herzegovina) on January 26, while rejected second resolution titled, the “Escalation of violence in Nagorno-Karabakh and the other occupied territories of Azerbaijan” (rapporteur Robert Walter, UK).

“In our opinion the fact of discussion and moreover approval of such non adequate, biased and paid up draft resolution is an evidence of European democracy’s failure against Azerbaijani authoritarianism. We follow this with regret taking into account that European democracy remains a showpiece of building a truly democratic state,” Babayan noted. At the same time the Press Secretary of Artsakh’s president noted that approval of such document cannot have any real consequences in negotiation process of Karabakh settlement. Babayan emphasized that PACE resolutions are exclusively advisable.

“Ultimately, we have offered Azerbaijan the chance to discuss the issue of using water resources of Sarsang water reservoir assuming that Artsakh would receive in exchange other resources such as hydrocarbon resources. However, most likely for Baku irrigation of its own territories bordering with Artsakh is insignificant issue, unlike the issue of profits from selling hydrocarbons,” Babayan summarized.

Stepanakert Says Use of Sarsang Reservoir is sovereign right of Karabakh people
According to all norms of international law, the use of the Sarsang Reservoir, which is located in the territory of Karabakh, was and will be the sovereign right of the Karabakh people, which cannot be violated by any resolution, Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Deputy Foreign Minister Armine Aleksanyan told news.am on Tuesday after the Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe approved a resolution on the sharing of that natural resource.

Aleksanyan also praised that PACE members did not adopt another anti-Karabakh measure by the British Member of Parliament Robert Walter entitled “Escalation of Violence in Nagorno-Karabakh and Other Occupied Territories of Azerbaijan.”

“This is indicative of the fact that PACE has supporters of common sense, who understand the responsibility and seriousness of the moment,” Aleksanyan said. “PACE actually acknowledged that the issues on the settlement of the conflict are outside its jurisdiction. The issue should be considered only in the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group.”

Aleksanyan also voiced concern over the fact that the PACE deputies didn’t demonstrate the same political maturity during the voting on the resolution regarding Sarsang Reservoir.

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan added that the adoption of the resolution pours water over mill of Azerbaijan’s propaganda.

There was criticism towards the reports in the speeches given during the session.

Parliamentarian Rudy Salles (France, Member of the Group of the European People’s Party,) emphasized that Marković prepared the reports without ever being in the region. He added that the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan had agreed to continue the dialogue on the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and such reports would endanger the settlement process. However, the resolution still passed.