OSCE Centre supports regional water management co-operation

ISSYK-KUL, Kazakhstan, 20 September 2007 - Intensifying water management co-operation between Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan so that water resources shared by the two countries can be used effectively is the purpose of a three-day meeting that starts today.

The meeting, organized by the OSCE Centre in Astana, brings together representatives from water authorities, public and private sectors as well as international organisations. Meeting participants will discuss the creation of a Transboundary River Basin Council that would host discussions between state authorities and interested parties.

"Meeting participants will discuss how those affected by water management in the two trans-boundary rivers Chu and Talas can contribute so that measures promote environmental stability, social consideration and cost-effectiveness," said Ambassador Ivar Vikki, Head of the OSCE Centre.

Anatoliy Ryabtsev, Head of the Water Resource Committee of Kazakhstan said that water was crucial to both the Kygyz and Kazakh economies.

His Kyrgyz counterpart, Barataly Koshmatov, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources, added:

"Proper management and joint share of natural water wealth helps build solid ground for political co-operation and serves as a good example of collaboration and enhancing in the use of transboundary water resources in the Central Asian region."

The meeting was organized in close co-operation with the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and water authorities from Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. It is part of a joint project to provide assistance to both countries on transboundary water management for the Chu and Talas Rivers.