In the post-war environment, such an agreement is mutually beneficial to both as they now rely on each other for irrigation. “There are valves in the territories that have come under the control of Azerbaijan, which can be opened only with the consent of the Azerbaijani side, on which there are preliminary agreements,” Armenian media quoted one Karabakh representative as saying.
This was the first widely publicised example of significant contact and cooperation between ethnic Armenians and Azerbaijanis in Karabakh. Though there had been some agreement during the construction of the new section of the highway connecting Armenia to Karabakh, meetings over water also saw ethnic Armenian representatives regularly visit areas now returned to Baku’s control.
“Ideas were exchanged about the possible options for the rational use of water resources, taking into account the control of the Sarsang reservoir, and the control over the irrigation infrastructures,” a local Armenian official explained. “In the future, discussions will continue and decisions will be made based on the needs of both electricity production and irrigation as well as the needs related to drinking and irrigation water.”
According to Adil Gafarli, one of the Azerbaijani representatives that visited Sarsang, this was also not the first visit to the reservoir and more bi-monthly meetings are planned starting today. Garfali also described last week’s meeting with his local Armenian counterparts as “sincere and productive.”
