DUSHANBE, November 28, 2012, Asia-Plus — An EU-Central Asia Ministerial meeting took place in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek on November 27.
The gathering brought together Tajik Foreign minister Hamrokhon Zarifi, Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Erlan Abdyldayev, Kazakh Foreign minister Erlan Idrisov, First Uzbek Deputy Foreign Minister Vladimir Norov and Turkmen Deputy Foreign Minister Vepa Khajiyev. The EU delegation was led by European Union foreign-policy chief Catherine Ashton.
The Bishkek meeting is the ninth Ministerial meeting since the Central Asia Strategy was adopted by the European Council in 2007, and followed the June 2012 Foreign Affairs Council Conclusions on Central Asia and the Progress Report on implementation of the Strategy.
According to the Tajik MFA information department, the meeting discussed a broad range of issues related to security and regional cooperation, energy, environment and water as well as other priority areas of the EU-Central Asia Strategy such as education, rule of law, human rights and initiatives on civil society.
The meeting participants paid a special attention to increasing role of security issues. Central Asia’s nations and the European Union have shared a common view of promotion of security and stability in both regional and global contexts.
Issues related to fighting transnational organized crime, including human trafficking, extremism, terrorism and drug trafficking were also discussed at the meeting in Bishkek. The sides reportedly agreed to consider the European Union’s proposal to establish a regular high-level dialogue between the European Union and Central Asia on security issues.
Issues of rational use of regional water-and-energy resources were among major topics of the meeting.
Lacking substantial energy resources, Tajikistan places its hope for a domestic source of energy in hydropower and a Tajik delegation gave its view on the water-and-energy problems.
In a statement delivered at the meeting, Tajik foreign minister noted yesterday that hydropower is the only resource for development of Tajikistan’s economy. “Tajikistan lacks substantial natural-gas and oil reserves and more than 70 percent of the country’s population has experienced acute electricity and heat shortages during 6-7 months per year for long years,” Zarifi noted.
“In winter period, Tajikistan is forced to minimize the use of water for work of its hydropower plants in order to accumulate water in reservoirs for further use for irrigation of agricultural lands in neighboring countries,” Zarifi noted.
Zarifi noted that Tajikistan was ready for joint development of its water-and-energy resources that “exceed regional requirements three times.”
