New Eastern Europe - November-December 2017

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the cluster of homes in which the Uzbek workers running the reservoir live. Over

a week later, a helicopter arrived from Uzbekistan and unloaded a group of police

officers on the nearby Ungar-Too mountain, where Kyrgyzstan maintains a tel-

ecommunications tower. For almost a month, the Uzbek policemen kept the four

Kyrgyz technicians posted there hostage inside their own country.

After some desperate diplomatic horse-trading, the technicians were finally

released. The development that finally put this messy squabble to rest, however,

happened just as this reservoir drama was unfolding. On September 2nd, Uzbek-

istan’s government announced – after days of feverish speculation – that President

Islam Karimov, who led the country with icy and brutal resolve for 27 years, had

died after succumbing to a brain haemorrhage, aged 78. With Karimov’s passing,

out went the intransigence that had set the tone of water-sharing diplomacy for

decades. Against many analysts’ expectations, the new president, Shavkat Mirzi-

yoyev, 60, has proven flexible and pragmatic in his relations with neighbouring

countries. In the most recent landmark confirmation

of that change of course, during Kyrgyz President

Almazbek Atambayev’s visit to Uzbekistan on October

5th and 6th, the two nations came to a definitive agree-

ment on the status of the Kasan-sai reservoir. Under

the deal, the facility will come under Kyrgyzstan’s con-

trol, but Uzbekistan will continue to have the right to

draw water from the reservoir and provide funding for

its maintenance.

“Control over it will lie with the Water Manage-

ment Department in Kyrgyzstan’s Agriculture Ministry.

Ninety per cent of the water will be used by Uzbekistan.

Under the terms of the deal, the Uzbek side will assume any costs incurred by the

reservoir, such as, for example, paying workers, repairs and replacing equipment,”

Kyrgyz Agriculture Minister Nurbek Murashev said after the deal was signed. This

breakthrough is largely symbolic in the grander scheme of things, but its propo-

nents will likely argue that it can serve as an example of what can be achieved

through negotiations.

Water diplomacy

As history shows though, the champions of compromise face a tough time.

Co-operation between Central Asia’s mountainous upstream nations and their

expansive downstream neighbours has been tried before only to founder. In a bid

Against many

expectations,

Uzbekistan’s new

president has proven

flexible and pragmatic

in his relations

with neighbouring

countries.

Opinion & Analysis Central Asia and water, Peter Leonard