Saridan Mursakulov: We will not allow the privatization of climbing

Representatives of the Ministry of Environment continue to blame the Mountaineering Federation of the country  for violation  and  not respecting the rules and  absence  of patriotism. Such accusations are  in the statements of officials of the ministry, which is published by pro-government media.

The agency asked the vice-president of the Federation of Mountaineering Saridan Mursakulov to  comment on the allegations.

"The charges against  is a blackening campaign, and pressure. Most of the claims do not have any relation to the sport. This is unreasonable and unjustified carping caused one by the desire to subjugate our federation," said Mursakulov.

Here, for example, the press service of the Ministry of Environment said that the climbers

Damaged the bust of Ataturk, mounted  on the top of Shahdag. But this is absurd!

We have installed the bust several years ago while climbing dedicated to Ataturk. Why should we hurt it? Let the best representatives of the Ministry of Environment answer another question:  why there are poachers in the area of ​​the National Park who shoot mountain tours, and other rare animals? Maybe  they have  damaged  the bust?

Question: Why do you  want to go to the area  of Shahdag, can not you  go to other places?

A: I want to emphasize that the region Shahadag is  a traditional  place for gathering  climbers for nearly 100 years. It contains most of the highest peaks of Azerbaijan,  there are dozens of routes in different categories and  competitions are held there for many years. 

 We  do not  opposed  the protection of this area, but let these rules be applied to  all. For example, the head of the Ministry of Environment heads the Federation of Air and Extreme Sports (FAIREX). For some time, he has decided that climbing and some of its species  must be  in  his possession.  They cannot  take from us these  kinds , therefore,  they close  the access to the mountains. At the same time, for the  members  of FAIREX all the ways to the mountain  are open.

Ministry of Environment openly  locks holding national competitions included in the annual plan Mountaineering Federation and approved by the Ministry of Youth and Sports. This is what happened on October 23, when the collection  of alpinists in the  Shahdag National park was prevented. 

Bagirov tries  to found his  bans legally, and  wants to present them  as a  compliance with the rules and the regimes in Shahdag National Park. The situation is paradoxical, today  it is more difficult for us to get there, that to go to the neighboring Dagestan and  climb to the top of the Bazarduzu and Yarydag neighboring with Shahdag !

Q: What is these rule?

A: To get the "visa" from Bagirov we must submit a  number of documents and letters to explain why and where we are going, and to get the number of accompanying persons approved by the Ministry of Environment. But even subordination  to this procedure is not  a guarantee that the athletes will  get to the mountains. The Ministry  demands to   present a list of document, beginning from ID cards to various information, and 2-3 weeks in advance, and now  they demand it to present  a month in advance.

 Q: Why all this?

A: In fact, the reference to a national park, it's just an excuse. Around the world, at the entrance to the National park a small fee is paid, and it is not like some sort of crossing the state border. 

There are in the world and generally accompany tourists guide, it is necessary if one wants to climb the mountain. However, climbers do not need a guide, they guides, to whom they also accompany coaches and instructors. 

Now we have a paradoxical situation in which the Ministry of Environment issues licenses mountain guide on your own. And it may  happen that the master or the Master of Sports  on mountaineering climbing will be  accompanies a shepherd from a nearby village! It turns out that this is not the main sport skills, and experience, it is a piece of paper from the Ministry of Environment, and that the "guide" should be a member of FAIREX. 

Q: What would be the consequences?

A: The most difficult, for they  do not consider the most important issue - the safety and health of the people in the mountains. Throughout the civilized world, escort or guide, is a highly skilled climber. This function is assigned to the rescue  group ,  a group of climbers of professionals with a variety of vehicles and aircraft, which may at any time to enter the place and rescue the victims in the mountains.

    Mountaineering Federation represented by the Mountaineering Club presented to the Ministry of Environment last year a list of nine experienced athletes to license guide athletes in the mountains. And what happened? Famous athletes who have many years of expertise, tokens rescue dozens of years worked as an instructor and trainer in mountaineering,  could not get such a  license from the Ministry of Environment!

Fantasies of this department  are constantly updated. Even before the Ministry of Environment refused  to accept applications for the visit of the mountain climbing clubs, and now says he will not have to deal with the Federation, and will work with the clubs.

In 2011, the Minister of the Environment established a quota for visiting the mountains in the National Park, no more than 50 people  for a  particular height.  In this case, the entrance to the park is 26 manat with citizens, and with foreigners - 52 manat.

These prices are set by the Ministry of Environment guidelines, but they can  be established only by the Tariff Council, and  not a  monopoly, which in this case is the Ministry of Environment.

Q: What would be the consequences of this conflict?

A: Climbing is a mass sport, and similar restrictions - can only be regarded as a conscious restraint of the sport.

The climbers who do not agree with all that face open blackmail and pressure. For example, some members of the Mountaineering Federation, working in government, strongly urged to go to FAİREX to Huseyn Bagirov.

Another example is that  in the spring of this year, when the Minister of the Environment has long blocked the annual traditional event of the Mountaineering Federation - climbing  to Heydar Zirvesi, scheduled for May 10. This event included in the schedule, and approved by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, managed to hold only after much debate and hassle. In this case, the Minister of Environment did not hesitate to expose itself a "sponsor" of the event, stating that the expedition will not charge an entrance fee to the national park. At the same time, members of the Federation of extreme events freely climbed  to the  same top and in the same period.

The  world's centers of mountain climbing and leisure travelers are trying to attract tourists by service and accessibility. Therefore, the electoral quota for the athletes on this background look like a mockery and deliberate suffocation  of mountaineering.

Stating  that the fact that Shahdagh National Park is a special border zone  are unfounded. There can be no two state borders, and if there is already a border regime, the introduction of  another border  is a blatant arbitrariness and abuse of functions of the Ministry. 

Answering this  question, I want to emphasize that the logical conclusion of all these squabbles can be only one - climbing as a sport in Azerbaijan will be seriously undermined. Already there is a shortage of experienced coaches and staff.

Attempts to privatize the mountain-climbing athletes will lead to the fact that untrained people will die in the mountains.  Such thing happened last year, when a group of five people representing FAIREX when climbing to  Heydar Zirvesi violated the order and left the route. Only thanks to a lucky coincidence, it became possible to  find  them in the fog and went downstairs.

The use of administrative resources  of the Ministry of Environment and the Western University for inviting foreign players, coaches, creating numerous mountain clubs in the country, where local rangers automatically enroll employees and reserves, looks like fraud.

We  call on  the Ministry of Youth and Sport, the Cabinet of Ministers and other government agencies to review and abolish the restrictive measures  for  entering the territory  of Shakhdag National Park, and the Ministry of Environment to stop stifling the Mountaineering Federation. -0-