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Azerbaijan, Georgia hold negotiations on shared water resources of Kura River

29 November 2011 12:16 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Habil Suleymanzadeh â€“ APA. Government representatives of Azerbaijan and Georgia met in Baku to discuss a draft bilateral agreement on the shared water resources of the Kura River Basin as part of a joint United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)-Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) project under the Environment and Security Initiative (ENVSEC). The consultations were constructive and will result in a revised draft for discussion by the two Governments.

Azerbaijan and Georgia rely on the water in the Kura Basin as a key source of drinking water, for sanitation, municipal and industrial water use, and for irrigated agriculture, among other uses. Increased variation and reduction of hydrological flow, deterioration of water quality and ecosystem degradation, as well as flooding and bank erosion, are some of the issues that need to be addressed jointly by the two Riparian States.
The draft agreement, which was officially submitted in advance of the meeting to Azerbaijan and Georgia for review, provides a framework for cooperation between the two countries on water pollution prevention and control, conservation of biodiversity, emergency situations, data and information sharing and public participation. The draft agreement also envisages the establishment of a joint commission for the protection and rational use of water resources of the Kura River Basin.

The Environment and Security Initiative of United Nations Economic Commission for Europe contributes to management of shared water resources and cooperation towards it in Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia.