BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 2. Uzbekistan and
Kazakhstan advanced work on strengthening cooperation on the
protection and sustainable use of the Tashkent Transboundary
Aquifer.
This was reflected in the statement by the Ministry of Mining
Industry and Geology of Uzbekistan, following a meeting held under
the framework of the UN Economic Commission for Europe Water
Convention.
According to the Ministry, the second meeting of experts from
Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan was organized at the initiative of the UN
Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and focused on developing a
memorandum of understanding on the management and protection of the
shared groundwater resource.
Representatives of the UNECE Water Convention, the International
Water Assessment Centre (IWAC) and international experts took part
in the meeting, alongside officials from Uzbekistan’s Ministry of
Mining and Geology, Ministry of Water Resources, Uzbekhydrogeology
and other relevant institutions.
The Kazakh delegation included representatives of the Ministry
of Water Resources and Irrigation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
Kazhydrogeology.
"The event discussed the issues raised at the first meeting in
Tashkent on July 1 this year and ways to resolve them, the draft
Memorandum of Understanding aimed at strengthening bilateral
cooperation, as well as the draft Roadmap for the protection and
effective use of the Tashkent Transboundary Aquifer, calculated
until 2030," the ministry said in the statement.
The work highlights the importance of coordinated management of
shared groundwater resources as Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan seek to
strengthen practical cooperation on water security.
The meeting also provided a platform to consider new initiatives
and international projects focused on the sustainable use and
protection of water resources, with support from the United
Nations.
The parties are expected to continue work on the memorandum and
road map as part of broader efforts to strengthen cross-border
water cooperation between the two countries.
