Media outlets in Central Asia are putting different spin on comments about the use of scarce water resources that were made during the recent summit between Turkmenistan's leader, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, and his Uzbek counterpart, Islam Karimov.
During his February 24-25 visit to the Uzbek capital Tashkent, Berdymukhamedov appeared to offer a cautious endorsement for a collective approach to regional hydropower projects, suggesting that before any construction could begin plans should be subject to international feasibility studies and to regional endorsement.
Tajik media outlets interpreted Berdymukhamedov as calling for an outright ban on new construction, a position that, if accurate, would alarm Dushanbe. Tajik officials are eager to complete work on the long-stalled Rogun dam project.
Uzbekistan has long favored a collective arrangement, in which neighboring states would have an effective veto over hydropower projects that could possibly disturb existing water-flow patterns. But one well-connected Uzbek media outlet, Uzmetronom.uz, suggested in a commentary that Berdymukhamedov's comments left Uzbek authorities feeling disappointed. "If Islam Karimov spoke about [water] extensively, then Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov commented on the situation very cautiously," read a web commentary on February 26.
State-controlled Turkmen media, meanwhile, remained vague about where Berdymukhamedov precisely stands on the issue. The editor of the official Neutralny Turkmenistan newspaper, Bekdurdy Amansaryyev, wrote on February 26 that "the integration of Central Asian countries is a key condition to maintain stability in the region." Echoing Berdymukhamedov's sentiments, the editor added the development of water and energy resources must "take into account the interests of all countries in the region."
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