Tajikistan, Dushanbe, 29 March / Trend D. Mukhtarov /
The water problem in the Central Asian region is one of the most pressing issues, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Yerlan Idrisov told journalists.
"Effective solutions have not been found for many years. Leaders in the region are looking for a formula to solve the problem," Idrisov said on the sidelines of eleventh meeting of foreign ministers of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue member countries held in Dushanbe.
According to the minister, this issue was raised directly during his meeting with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon as well as with the ministers.
"It's no secret that the construction of the Rogun hydroelectric power plant is one of the important issues on the agenda. The Tajik president spoke during the meeting about his vision and approach to the construction of this facility. He suggested the importance of working together with the World Bank to conduct an independent examination of the construction of the power station," Idrisov said.
The minister said that in dealing with controversial issues on the use of trans-boundary water resources, it is important to adhere to international norms and concepts which stipulate that the rights of countries that lie in the upper and lower reservoirs are equal.
"The states in the upper waters should not violate the rights and economic interests of the states located in the lower waters and vice versa. There are international conventions according to which the two sides should sit at the negotiating table and work out a mutually acceptable scheme for the usage of water resources," Idrisov said.