Central Asia experts discuss regional co-operation on water management

TASHKENT, 27 October 2008 - Improving regional co-operation on water management and promoting environmental security and safety were the focus of a workshop that ended in Tashkent on Saturday.

The three-day event was organized by the Scientific Information Centre of the Interstate Commission for Water Coordination, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan and the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities. It gathered more than 50 representatives dealing with water management structures in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

Participants shared best practices and discussed legal and economic aspects of transboundary water resource management. They said that Central Asia was a single ecosystem whose preservation depends on regional co-operation.

The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan, Ambassador Istvan Venczel, called for prudent use of water resources and more co-operation on transboundary water courses as a vital prerequisite for a prosperous future in Central Asia.

Shavkat Khamraev, Uzbek Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Water Management, added: "In Central Asia we need to strengthen co-ordination on water issues. Co-operation on water and the energy potential of transboundary rivers is of special importance."

Alexey Stukalo, the Deputy Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities, said: "Efficient water management plays a key role in stability, security, social and economic progress, and the sustainable development of the region."

Participants offered a number of recommendations for Central Asian governments, the OSCE and other international organizations in the areas of integrated water resource management, legal regulations on transboundary water courses and the development of economic mechanisms of water use.