Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, May 12 / Trend H.Hasanov /
Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan highlighted the need to address the water and energy issues in Central Asia given the interests of all countries in the region, an official Turkmen source reported.
A joint statement was signed by the presidents of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, Gurbangulu Berdimuhammedov and Islam Karimov.
Berdimuhamedov has recently paid an official visit to Uzbekistan.
The parties emphasized the need to respect the UN Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes of 1992, and the Non-Navigational Uses of International Water routes of 1997. The Non-Navigational Uses of International Water routes addressed the construction of hydroelectric facilities on rivers.
The statement reads that "water and energy issues in Central Asia should be considered on the basis of universally recognized norms and principles of international law, taking into account the interests of all countries in the region and international organizations."
Ashgabat recently hosted the International Scientific Conference on "Achievements in science and advanced technologies for restoring saline lands and improving the operation of irrigation facilities".
The drying up of the Aral Sea affects all Central Asian countries in close proximity of its coast, the chairman of the executive committee of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS) Sagit Ibatullin, said at the event. "Today, scholars are united to resolve the issues related to the Aral Sea," he said.
IFAS was founded on April 9, 1999. The Fund has been granted observer status at the UN General Assembly in on Dec.11, 2008. The founders of the Fund are Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.