Sarsang Reservoir to be discussed at the European Parliament on Wednesday

The Sarsang Water reservoir, close to Nagorno-Karabakh. will be the focus of discussion at an event being held on Wednesday, 31 May, at the European Parliament in Brussels. The event is an initiative of MEPs Ivo Vajgl from the ALDE Group, Tamas Meszerics from the Greens/EFA Group, and Fabio Castaldo, from the EFDD Group.

During the meeting four experts will present their opinion in a panel discussion - Dr Tracey German, from the department of Defence Studies at Kings' College, London, Marina Nagai from International Alert, Dr Dennis Sammut from LINKS (DAR), and Torsten Ahern from the office of the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus.

Azerbaijan built the Sarsang Reservoir on the Tartar River in 1976. The area of the reservoir is 14.2 km2 (5.5 sq mi).The overall volume of the reservoir is 575 million m3. The height of the dam at the reservoir is 125 m (410 ft). The Sarsang Hydro Power Plant with capacity of 50 megawatt has been based on the reservoir since its opening.

In November 1992, in the midst of the Nagorno-Karabakh War, the region where the reservoir is situated came under effective Armenian control. The power plant, now operated by Artsakh HEK OJSC, has become the main source of electric energy for the self-declared Nagorno-Karabakh Republic(40-60%). Since coming under Armenian control however, the flow of water has been under question. There are also serious concerns regarding the maintenance of the reservoir.  

These issues were raised in a Council of Europe report published in December 2015.

You can read the report by PACE rapporteur Milica Markovic here

On that occasion the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe also adopted a resolution calling, inter alia, "on all sides concerned to step up their efforts to co-operate closely in the joint management of the resources of the Sarsang water reservoir, as such co-operation can constitute a confidence-building measure necessary for the solution of any conflict".

You can read the full PACE resolution here

 

This article was edited to clarify that the Sarsang reservoir is in a district close to Nagorno-Karabakh, currently under Armenian control, but not in Nagorno-Karabakh itself.

source; commonspace.eu

Related articles

Editor's choice
News
Borrell tells the European Parliament that the situation in Afghanistan was critical, but the EU will remain engaged

Borrell tells the European Parliament that the situation in Afghanistan was critical, but the EU will remain engaged

Borrell underlined that the European Union will make every effort to support the peace process and to remain a committed partner to the Afghan people. "Of course, we will have to take into account the evolving situation, but disengagement is not an option.  We are clear on that: there is no alternative to a negotiated political settlement, through inclusive peace talks.
Editor's choice
News
Dozens participate in new Armenia-Azerbaijan dialogue process as societies prepare for the signing of historic peace agreement

Dozens participate in new Armenia-Azerbaijan dialogue process as societies prepare for the signing of historic peace agreement

The governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan have recently agreed the text of a historic peace agreement that ends years of animosity and warfare. The agreement is expected to be signed soon. LINKS Europe, which has a long history of engagement with the process of peace in the region, recently launched a new Armenia-Azerbaijan dialogue format in the framework of the European Union's EU4Peace initiative. In the last two weeks dozens of Armenians and Azerbaijanis, including academics, students, civil society activists, journalists and other professionals, many of them young, were involved. The work is organised in five thematic groups focusing on peace and security, connectivity, environment, governance and gender and equality and in phase 2 of the project, which has just ended, around fifty participants took part in in-person and online meetings, and more than twenty others were involved indirectly. The Chairpersons of the five thematic groups met in Vilnius, 3-6 July to launch the third phase of the program. The five thematic groups are now working on separate reports, which are expected to be finished in November and presented to the two governments and other stakeholders. The reports will outline a vision, up to 2040.

Popular

Editor's choice
News
Dozens participate in new Armenia-Azerbaijan dialogue process as societies prepare for the signing of historic peace agreement

Dozens participate in new Armenia-Azerbaijan dialogue process as societies prepare for the signing of historic peace agreement

The governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan have recently agreed the text of a historic peace agreement that ends years of animosity and warfare. The agreement is expected to be signed soon. LINKS Europe, which has a long history of engagement with the process of peace in the region, recently launched a new Armenia-Azerbaijan dialogue format in the framework of the European Union's EU4Peace initiative. In the last two weeks dozens of Armenians and Azerbaijanis, including academics, students, civil society activists, journalists and other professionals, many of them young, were involved. The work is organised in five thematic groups focusing on peace and security, connectivity, environment, governance and gender and equality and in phase 2 of the project, which has just ended, around fifty participants took part in in-person and online meetings, and more than twenty others were involved indirectly. The Chairpersons of the five thematic groups met in Vilnius, 3-6 July to launch the third phase of the program. The five thematic groups are now working on separate reports, which are expected to be finished in November and presented to the two governments and other stakeholders. The reports will outline a vision, up to 2040.