Mayor provides explanation

The Mayor of Baku Hajibala Abutalibov told journalists in his first news conference Thursday that there were reasons for removing the spring in the Alley of Martyrs. The spring was a gift from Turkish government and its destruction provoked public outcry, while Turkish embassy even issued a protest note to the authorities.

The Mayor said there was a 20-year-old water pipeline running underneath the spring. Specialists had been warning the city authorities that a leak in the pipe could flood the Alley of Martyrs and leave an adjacent residential area without water for a long time.

Mr. Abutalibov said he had talked to the mosque as to re-locating the spring into the mosque courtyard, but was informed that there was already one. He added that he had repeatedly tried to meet with Turkish ambassador and even wrote to him, but without much result.

In the early hours on April 17, the water pipe broke up. To make things worse, an underlying gas pipeline was also damaged. According to the mayor, removal of the water spring has averted a serious catastrophe. On April 17, Mr. Abutalibov said he had talked to the Turkish ambassador and asked him not to aggravate tensions.*