Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan focus on water and energy cooperation
The 13th meeting of the joint working group on deepening cooperation and the 2nd meeting of the Kazakhstan‑Uzbekistan joint working group on coordinating efforts to develop a mutually beneficial and sustainable water‑energy cooperation mechanism in Central Asia were held in Turkistan, Qazinform News Agency learnt from the Water Resources and Irrigation Ministry of Kazakhstan.
Kazakh Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Nurzhan Nurzhigitov and Uzbek Water Management Minister Shavkat Khamraev and Turkistan region Governor Nuralkhan Kosherov attended the sessions.
Those attending debated key issues of bilateral water, water and energy cooperation, including cleaning and repair work on the interstate Dostyk Canal.
They also agreed to exchange experience in introducing and using water‑saving technologies, and to launch a project to install 10 automated gauging stations on the Syrdarya River (five in each country).
The project, developed with support from the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), is aimed at ensuring transparency and accuracy in transboundary water distribution.
Kazakh Minister Nurzhan Nurzhigitov highlighted that last year, in the presence of both Heads of State, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan signed an intergovernmental agreement on joint management and rational use of transboundary water facilities. He described the agreement as a historic milestone in Central Asian water diplomacy, establishing coordinated approaches and defining key areas for future cooperation.
The Minister also emphasized the Kazakh President’s initiatives to establish an International Water Organization under the UN and to develop a Central Asian Framework Convention on Water Use, underscoring their importance for long‑term regional cooperation.
To note, Kazakhstan plans to attract 2 trillion tenge for water supply modernization.
