White House: Territories surrounding NagornoKarabakh should be returned to Azerbaijan’s control

The U.S. White House administration responded officially to the petition, which demands the withdrawal of Armenian troops occupying 20 percent of Azerbaijani territory and emphasizes the dramatic situation of hundreds of thousands of citizens threatened by a humanitarian catastrophe because of neglected Sarsang dam, Azertac reported.

The White House stated that as a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, the United States is strongly committed to a peaceful and lasting settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

“We have read Resolution 2085 of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and, although the United States is not a member of PACE, we welcome opportunities to exchange views on the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process with any interested interlocutor,” the White House said in a statement released on June 11.

The Obama Administration urges the sides to demonstrate restraint and enter into an immediate negotiation on a comprehensive settlement, which would include the return of the territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijan’s control and a determination of Nagorno-Karabakh’s status.

“As part of our ongoing dialogue territories of Azerbaijan are under the control of Armenian armed forces, that humanitarian catastrophe due to Sarsang dam is imminent, were on the U.S. White House's official website for over two months. Millions of people from all over the world, being misinformed by biased international media for more than 20 years, have been visiting this website during more than two months. Therefore this petition was a very important and a significant activity on the way to the liberation of our territories from the occupation.”

Sarsang reservoir was built during the USSR in 1976 to provide residents of the border areas with water and irrigate agriculture.

However, Armenia captured Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions from Azerbaijan in a war that followed the Soviet breakup in 1991. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and nearly 1 million were displaced as a result of the war.

After the occupation of these lands, Armenia uses this reservoir as a tool of humanitarian and ecological terror. In winter months, the Armenian side intentionally opens the floodgates and creates conditions for overflooding the surrounding areas.

In summer months, Armenia does not allow to use the reservoir. As a result, there are serious problems in providing people with water, irrigating agriculture and preserving biodiversity.