Dr. Hassan Aydinli, ITF EU Representative, attended the 12th Annual Convention of World Azerbaijanis Congress

Dr. Hassan Aydinli, ITF EU Representative, attended the 12th Annual Convention (Union) of World Azerbaijanis Congress

April 28-29, 2012 - Brussels, Belgium

DÜNYA AZERBAYCANLILARI KONQRESININ XII (BIRLIK) QURULTAYI

At the invitation from :

Prof. G. Reza Sabri Tabrizi, Great Britain

Chairman, GAMAC South Azerbaijanis for Democracy and Freedom

Dr. Aref Najafi, Canada

Environmentalist, Chairman of Committee to Save Lake Urmia

Dr. Hamdullah Soleymani-Fard, Germany

Committee Member, Save Lake Urmia

Ahmad Obali, USA

Chairman, World Azerbaijanis Congress

Dr. Haqani Gayibli, Estonia

European Coordinator, Committee to save Lake Urmia

Member of Board of Directors, World Azerbaijanis Congress

Ayhan Demirci, Belgium

Azerbaycan - Belcika Dostluk Cemiyeti

Voorzitter Limburgse vereniging voor vriendschapsbanden tussen Azerbeidzjan en België

FREEDOM FOR AZERBAIJANI POLITICAL PRISONERS IN IRAN

Dr. Hassan Aydinli with Dr. Haqani Gayibli, European Coordinator, Committee to save Lake Urmia

During the Congress  important matters concerning the Azerbaijani community worldwide were discussed.

The congress also wants to bring to the world's attention the ecological disaster in Lake Urmia.

The participants warned of the ecological disaster in Lake Urmia which will affect the earth that we all live on, this ecological disaster will not only affect the countries surrounding the lake, but eventually Europe as well.

The Congress wants to bring to the world's attention the ecological disaster in lake Urmia - the second largest salt water lake in the world situated in northwest Iran on the Turkish border - that based on UNEP will affect lives of over 75 million people.

Lake Urmia is in danger of disappearing.  Iran has been building many dams over rivers that take water to this lake. Over 35 dams have choked the lake to a point where no water is allowed to go to this lake.  Iranian officials have been promising to look into this ecological mismanagement for the past 8 years but nothing is being done.  Based on Iranian officials over 65% of the lake water is lost. This could be the last year to save the lake.

If the lake completely dries, 10 billion tons of powder salt will remain a hazard to the surrounding environment that will include Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iraq and Iran. According to environmental experts any strong winds will move the salt particles and dump them on surrounding lands, thus creating one of the largest deserts in the world. This is a disaster waiting to happen.

Many activists from Iran have protested the Government policies but instead of listening to their grievances, the Iranian government has arrested many on  this issue.