Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
10ASHGABAT217
2010-02-16 12:41:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Ashgabat
Cable title:  

TURKMENISTAN: UN REGIONAL CENTER SEES WATER AS A

Tags:  PGOV SENV PREL EAID UN ZK TX 
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RHEBAAA/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHDC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 000217 

SIPDIS

STATE FOR SCA/CEN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/16/2020
TAGS: PGOV SENV PREL EAID UN ZK TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: UN REGIONAL CENTER SEES WATER AS A
POLITICAL ISSUE

REF: A. 09 ASHGABAT 1017

B. 09 ASHGABAT 100

Classified By: Acting DCM Peter Eckstrom, Reasons 1.4 (B) and (D).

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 000217

SIPDIS

STATE FOR SCA/CEN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/16/2020
TAGS: PGOV SENV PREL EAID UN ZK TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: UN REGIONAL CENTER SEES WATER AS A
POLITICAL ISSUE

REF: A. 09 ASHGABAT 1017

B. 09 ASHGABAT 100

Classified By: Acting DCM Peter Eckstrom, Reasons 1.4 (B) and (D).


1. (C) SUMMARY: Finding a way to get Central Asian countries
to come to agreement on water sharing is one of the top
priorities of the United Nations Regional Center for
Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia. The Center is
organizing workshops and conferences that focus on improving
negotiating skills and knowledge about international law on
water resources, aimed at building confidence and trust
between Central Asian governments. The Center views the
water sharing issue as political, not technical. If the
political will among Central Asian leaders exists, as the
Center believes it does, then they can overcome any remaining
technical problems in order to sign a regional agreement.
END SUMMARY.


2. (SBU) The issue of Central Asian water and energy
resources is one of the top three priorities of the United
Nations Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central
Asia (UNRCCA) for 2009-2011, according to Fedor Klimtchouk,
the Deputy Head of the Center. He explained that UNRCCA was
established in 2007 at the request of the five Central Asian
governments, and that they had also chosen the priority
issues for 2009-2011. Klimtchouk said that UNRCCA's strategy
was to focus on building negotiation skills and an
understanding of international law, in order to give the
countries confidence to develop agreements with each other.
He noted that only Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have signed the
1992 United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Convention
on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and
International Lakes. Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan argue that
the convention benefits downstream countries more than
upstream countries, and so are looking for another mechanism
for a regional agreement.


3. (C) Klimtchouk asserted that the Central Asian countries
all participate in conferences and workshops, but that so far
the only results have been ad hoc agreements valid for only

one winter season (ref A). He said that Tajikistan and
Kyrgyzstan are the most interested in a multilateral regional
agreement. Uzbekistan, in contrast, prefers to develop
bilateral agreements with its neighbors. Klimtchouk said
that Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan are probably motivated as
much by a desire to create political good and show regional
leadership, as by concern about water resources.
Turkmenistan, according to Klimtchouk, has not yet suffered
from a lack of water, but President Berdimuhamedov realizes
that it will pose problems for irrigation in the future, and
so is committed to finding a solution.


4. (C) On February 17, deputy foreign ministers of the five
Cental Asian countries will meet in Almaty, Kazakhstan to
again discuss water resources. At this meeting the officials
will talk about a UNRCCA proposal for a regular platform for
discussions. According to Klimtchouk, Turkmenistan has
already agreed to the proposal. The regular platform would
mean that designated representatives of each government would
meet at regular intervals specifically to discuss regional
water issues and possible agreements. To date, regional
water talks have taken place either at the margins of a
Commonwealth of Independent States summit, as in October 2008
(ref B),or as part of a broader issue, such as the April
2009 conference for the International Fund for Saving the
Aral Sea.


5. (SBU) The UNRCCA program focuses on the political aspects
of getting to an agreement on sharing water in Central Asia,
not the technical aspects. Klimtchouk said that the Central

ASHGABAT 00000217 002 OF 002


Asian countries still have experts from the Soviet era who
know how the system for exchanging water for natural gas
worked then. In addition, the experts have trained younger
people, so there is a new generation with relevant knowledge.
The UN Economic Commission for Europe provides technical
expertise when the Central Asian countries request it, and
the World Bank conducts feasibility studies for new projects,
including the Roghun dam project in Tajikistan. Klimtchouk
noted that Uzbekistan and Tajikistan have signed a terms of
reference agreement for the Roghun feasibility study.


6. (C) Klimtchouk said that for the UNRCCA, the best case
outcome of their programs would be a long-term regional
agreement on water sharing. He added that the UNRCCA did not
have a preference as to whether this long-term agreement took
the form of one multilateral agreement or multiple bilateral
agreements. The most important point was to develop a
long-term system, instead of relying on ad hoc agreements
drawn up for one season. Klimtchouk said the biggest
obstacle was lack of trust between the countries, but he
thought that the UNRCCA workshops were having an impact. The
UNRCCA will continue its program and will hold a seminar in
May about dispute resolution.


7. (C) COMMENT: The UNRCCA's approach to helping Central Asia
with its water resources issue highlights that it views the
problem as a political one, not a technical one.
Klimtchouk's comments made it clear that he sees building
trust as the Center's primary goal. Given that the Center's
mandate stems from the wishes of the Central Asian countries,
it is encouraging to see that they are prioritizing areas
that will lead to a political solution. Climate change and
the evaporating of the Aral Sea will increase the difficulty
of finding a way to share water that is acceptable to
everyone. However, if the political will exists, as
Klimtchouk believes it does, then the technical obstacles can
be overcome. END COMMENT.
CURRAN