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.
