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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