An open discussion on “Water resources, Peace and Security” was held at the UN Security Council on November 22.
Noting that three quarters of UN Member States share rivers or lake basins with their neighbors, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday highlighted the value of water resources as a reason for cooperation, not conflict.
“The need for coordination in water management is especially compelling for the more than 260 international rivers and at least that many transboundary aquifers,” Ban told a Security Council debate, which was open to non-Council members.
Addressing the meeting, Armenia’s Permanent Representative to the UN Zohrab Mnatsakanian noted that “trans-border water resources create social and economic interrelation between societies and can serve a cause of conflict and argument inside a country and between states.”
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Mnatsakanian referred to Sarsang Water reservoir and voiced regret over the fact that Azerbaijan uses the issue to throw mud at and present charges against Armenia.
“The Sarsang water reservoir, which is of keyimportance to the economy of Nagorno-Karabakh, especially from the agricultural and energy perspectives, is under permanent control of the Nagorno-Karabakh authorities,” he noted.
Mnatsakanian reminded that the Nagorno-Karabakh authorities have on many occasions offered a mechanism of joint use of water resources, which can serve an additional confidence-building measure between the countries.
“Instead, Azerbaijan prefers to spread groundless accusations and suspicious “proofs”, which actually amount to misinformation, to say the least of it. Azerbaijan would have done itself and the region a great favor, had it sincerely engaged in a peace process instead of boosting it caviar diplomacy,” Mnatsakanian said.