Cross-Border River Cooperation between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan: Water and Fuel Trade in Syr Darya and Ecological Diplomacy in the Aral Sea

• In Event: Policy Issues in Central Asia

Abstract

Cooperation on transboundary rivers is a potential direction for Central Asia to avoid conflicts over natural resource and promote regional ecological diplomacy and political integration. As the longest inland river in Central Asia, there is a huge difference in water resources occupation between the upper and lower reaches of the Syr Darya. The demand for water resources between Kyrgyzstan in the upper reaches and Uzbekistan in the lower reaches also differs greatly due to seasonal changes. During the Soviet period, hydraulic facilities were built on the Syr Darya to uniformly distribute water resources. After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the central-level hydraulic distribution system no longer existed. Upstream and downstream countries need to coordinate and form a new agreement on the use of water resources in the Syr Darya. By collecting a large number of survey documents and data on the cooperation of the Syr Darya basin countries in Central Asia, the article firstly proposes an analytical framework for river cooperation, and then explores the methods of seasonal water and hydrocarbon fossil fuel trade in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan based on their respective resource endowments. The article then traces the institutionalization process of regional ecological diplomacy in the Aral Sea around the Syr Darya water trade, including the interaction of domestic legislation and inter-state agreements, therefore providing fresh experience for cooperation and regional integration on transboundary rivers.

Author

• Ruikai Xue, Jilin U (China)