OSCE supports roundtable discussion on transboundary water cooperation between Kazakhstan and Russia

AKIPRESS.COM - A two-day roundtable discussion supported by the OSCE Programme Office in Nur-Sultan on the sustainable management of the Zhaiyk (Ural) river basin ecosystem, which traverses Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation, concluded on July 26 in Oral, Kazakhstan, the OSCE reported.
The discussion brought together some 70 participants from Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation representing government authorities, national experts, academia and civil society with the aim of promoting the 2016 Agreement between Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation on the Conservation of the Zhaiyk/Ural River Basin Ecosystem.
Participants discussed the main challenges in managing the transboundary river basin and reviewed co-operation opportunities in the context of best international practices.
An expert from the United Kingdom, invited by the Office, and national experts from Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation presented their studies on the sustainable use of the river basin and identified areas of enhancing inter-state co-operation.
The event was organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Nur-Sultan; the Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources Ministry; the regional administration of Western Kazakhstan, and the Makhambet Utemisov West Kazakhstan State University.
It is part of the Programme Office's multi-year efforts to contribute to the transboundary dialogue on water and to raise awareness among state institutions about the sustainable management of water.