On December 24, 2020, the third meeting of the Kazakh-Uzbek joint working group (Commission) on environmental protection and water quality in the Syrdarya river basin was held. The meeting has been organized in line with the Strategy for Economic Cooperation for 2017-2019 between the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Government of Uzbekistan, signed during the visit of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Mr. Shavkat Mirziyoyev to the Republic of Kazakhstan, as well as the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan on cooperation in the field of environmental protection and management (June 2, 1997).
The Kazakh delegation was headed by the Chairman of the Committee for Environmental Regulation and Control of the Ministry of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Mr. Zholdasov Z., the Uzbek delegation - First Deputy of the State Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan on Ecology and Environmental Protection Mr. Oblomuradov N.N.
At the meeting, the results of the agreed water sampling and data exchange on the quality of the water of the Syrdarya river were presented, an analytical report by each of the Parties was presented on the results of joint observations of the water quality of the Syrdarya river, and the criteria for assessing water quality were compared.
During the meeting, the parties summed up the Work Plan of the Kazakh-Uzbek joint working group on environmental protection and water quality in the Syrdarya river basin for 2020 and came to a consensus that the Plan was implemented in full.
Following the meeting, the Work Plan of the Kazakh-Uzbek Joint Working Group (Commission) on environmental protection and water quality of the Syrdarya river basin for 2021-2022 was approved, and government representatives of the Republic of Tajikistan were invited to participate.
As the Secretariat of the Working Group (WG), CAREC could perform the functions of involving the members of the bilateral WG in cooperation on the exchange of information, experience and knowledge between the members of the groups; discussing practical and methodological issues and opportunities for joint monitoring; promoting the best global and regional water quality practices; building the capacity of group members; providing a regional platform for discussing joint initiatives and projects.
It should be noted that according to the regulation, the Commission meets once a year.