OREANDA-NEWS. December 08, 2010. The National Seminar “Strengthening integrated water resources management and transboundary water cooperation: the role of UNECE conventions and of the EU Water Initiative National Policy Dialogue” was held in the President Hotel in Ashgabat.

Forum participants were specialists of sectoral ministries and departments, particularly of the water industry and environmental sector, scientists, international experts, representatives of international organisations, in particular the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.

The specificities of integrated water resources management, the prospects for cooperation under the EU Water Initiative were considered during the seminar. The UN conventions and existing international and legal instruments of the UN Economic Commission for Europe as the foundations for effective management and protection of water resources, the prospects for cooperation in this field with Turkmenistan where the substantial experience in efficient water use had been accumulated.

Water resources in the Central Asian region require efficient and effective use and management. In this regard Turkmenistan promotes the development of consistent measures meeting national interests of all countries in the region to prevent water pollution and depletion, especially in transboundary areas. Therefore, partnership aimed at tackling regional water problems, exchanging positive experiences and introducing most effective mechanisms of cooperation proved to be effective in international practice are of particular importance. In this regard cooperation with the Economic Commission for Europe as well as positive contacts with states in the region within the framework of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea acquires particular importance.

As is known, addressing the 65th session of the UN General Assembly President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov focused on the urgent environment challenges in saving the Aral Sea crisis and rehabilitating the unique environment of the Caspian Sea and put forward the initiative to establish an international expert group, which would develop in cooperation with the UN and its agencies a complex international legal document to save the Aral Sea on the basis on the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the UN and the Executive Committee of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea in Ashgabat in March 2010.

Focusing on the appropriateness of the presence of the specialized agencies of the United Nations in Central Asia and the Caspian Sea basin, the leader of the Turkmen state said that:

“First of all, we expect the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to work actively here. We are proposing to consider a possibility for opening the UNEP Regional Office in one of states in the region. Turkmenistan stands ready to provide necessary infrastructure. Turkmenistan sees solutions to water problems in compliance with universally recognized norms of international law and national interests of all countries in the region and through involvement of the international community including the United Nations and other authoritative international organisations.”

Underlining that the constructive position taken by Turkmenistan on these issues was reflected in the seminar, the participants stressed that Turkmenistan, where irrigated agriculture had been widely practiced from ancient times and water was viewed as an imperishable value, had accumulated the profound experience in effective water resources management and took significant measures to protect water resources and introduce advanced water use technologies.

The Turkmen state takes much effort to ensure effective and uninterrupted water supply and efficient use of water resources for agricultural and industrial purposes. The projects are implemented on an unprecedented scale in the water sector including such grandiose ones as the construction of the Turkmen Lake that will enable to recycle large amounts of drainage water and improve dramatically the ecological situation in this region as well as the effective measures to introduce advanced irrigation technologies are taken.