Azernews.Az

Azerbaijani lawmakers have severely criticized Iran over its failure to prevent the drying up of Lake Orumieh in the Azerbaijani-populated regions.

The MPs, addressing parliament as its fall session opened on Friday, also condemned the Iranian government’s crackdown on Azerbaijanis who have recently staged protests over what they believe is Tehran’s turning a blind eye to their environmental concerns.

Independent MP Ganira Pashayeva noted that the drying up of Lake Orumieh has endangered the lives of millions of Azerbaijani residents, terming the protests as fair.

Analysts say that if the present process continues the lake could disappear completely within three years, leaving billions of tons of salt that will pose a health hazard to the local population and make parts of the region uninhabitable for the some 14 million people who live there.

Pashayeva suggested that the Milli Majlis issue a statement to the Iranian parliament urging to meet the demands of Azerbaijanis on environmental and social issues.

"But [so far] we can see that they are doing just the opposite and cracking down on those who put forward such demands," Pashayeva said. "Iranian jails are currently full of Azerbaijani prisoners. This has to stop."

The MP said further that "there is no other country in the world" where people of an ethnic group accounting for a large part of the population are deprived of the right to receive education in their language and to promote their culture. "But international organizations continue to be silent bystanders," she added.

MP Fazayil Aghamali, chairman of pro-government Ana Vatan party, also said the Iranian government is failing to take action to prevent disappearance of Lake Orumieh. He predicted that if the process is not countered, a natural disaster may occur in an area encompassing 5,700 square meters.

Aghamali said the water level at the lake has fallen by 7 meters and, if its drying-up does not stop, the 14 million people who live in the area will have to be relocated, while Azerbaijan, itself, will be affected by dust and salt fog.

The MP said Azerbaijan should "sound the alarm signal" and the country’s parliament should send an appeal to the Iranian legislature.

"Let’s tell them to pay more attention to the problem," Aghamali said. "If necessary, Azerbaijan could assist in measures to be taken [to prevent the lake’s evaporation]."

Another parliament member, deputy executive secretary of the ruling Yeni (New) Azerbaijan Party (YAP), Siyavush Novruzov showed a different approach to the problem. According to him, the remarks about Azerbaijanis’ facing pressure in Iran are true, and Azerbaijan should support these people. But he added: "Everything is up to the Azerbaijanis living in Iran. 30 million Azerbaijanis live there. They, too, should rise up against the violations of their rights and make their voices heard."

Chairman of opposition Umid (Hope) Party, MP Igbal Agazada said it would be wrong to show indifference to the developments ongoing in Iran. He said that many years ago, when Azerbaijanis were being deported from Armenia, then Azerbaijani authorities made a big mistake by failing to respond to the injustice on fears of Moscow.

"So, now, we shouldn’t back down on Iran," he said. "It is crystal clear that the Iranian authorities are getting ready to relocate the 14 million Azerbaijanis."

Speaker Ogtay Asadov avoided comment on the issue raised by the MPs, suggesting that they instead discuss issues that are on parliament’s agenda.