Baku, Azerbaijan, April 22
By Umid Niayesh - Trend:
Iranian plans of diverting water from the Caspian Sea to deserts in the center of the country is a promotional statement and bears a political subtext.
The deputy head of Iran's Environment Protection Organization, Parvin Farshchi said that the project remains a concern not only on the national level, but also in the whole region, Iranian Mehr news agency reported on April 22.
Farshchi went on to say that if Iran wants to transfer water from the Caspian Sea, it will face serious oppositions from other countries which need water even more than Iran.
"If every country decides to use the Caspian Sea water, there won't be anything left," she said.
On Jan. 23 Iranian media outlets quoted energy minister Hamid Chitchian as saying the country's parliament has approved the project on transfer of water from the Caspian Sea.
In April of 2012, former president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad attended the foundation-laying of an irrigation system designed to transfer water from the Caspian Sea. However Iranian MPs and some economic experts considered this project ineffective and demanded suspension of its implementation, after which construction was delayed.