Kazakhstan and Tajikistan discussed the water issue in Central Asia
Water and energy issues have become one of the key topics of talks in Astana between the leaders of Kazakhstan and Tajikistan. Water management of the two main arteries of Central Asia – Amu Darya and Syr Darya, as well as the Aral environmental crisis have become the defining areas in this subject. “Two rivers-Amu Darya and Syr Darya, where 70 million people live. A lot depends on them in the life of these people,” President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev said during the press conference, stressing that mutually beneficial cooperation and settlement of all issues through negotiations are important for all Central Asian nations. According to Nazarbayev, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan have a common position that the use of transboundary rivers in the region for the benefit of all countries are of particular importance. Regarding the problems of the Aral sea, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan believe that the negotiation process on the platform of International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea with the participation of all regional countries plays an exceptional role. “We note that this year the chairing Turkmenistan desires to hold a forum in August, we all will meet there,” the President of Kazakhstan said. Today Astana hosts a working meeting of the heads of state of Central Asia, where Turkmenistan is represented by the members of Parliament. One of the top items on the high dialogue agenda is the management of shared water resources in the region. According to the findings of the latest study on water in Central Asia, heldconducted by the regional environmental center of CAREC and the German think tank “adelphi”, the cost of inaction in this area could result in losses of $ 4.5 billion per year. However, if countries would enhance and coordinate efforts to rationalize water resources, it will be possible not only to save the funds, but also to gain other benefits, such as growth of national GDPs and reduced water dependence in the economy. Fortunately, experts believe that Central Asia has such potential.
