Statement by H.E. Mr. Kurmanbek Bakiev,

President of the Kyrgyz Republic at the Meeting of Heads

of the States-Founders of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS)

April 28, 2009, Almaty, Kazakhstan

Distinguished President of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea,

Distinguished Heads of States,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

First of all, I would like to express my sincere appreciation and gratitude to the Kazakhstan ’s side and personally to you, distinguished Nursultan Nazarbaev, as the President of the Fund, for the excellent organization of today's meeting. I hope that today's meeting will become important and fruitful platform for discussing common problems related to use of water-energy resources of the region.

Allow me in my address to focus your attention on problems which are of the most concern for Kyrgyzstan , and, in our view, should become priority objective in the activities of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea directed at the benefit of all countries of the region.

For 16 years from the moment of its establishment, the IFAS became a unique platform uniting all countries of Central Asia in the framework of which interstate dialogue is to be supported with a view of overcoming challenges not only of ecological, but also of water economic and energy nature.

All of us realize the current situation in the region and in the world, and for today's meeting we have already come in other financial, economic and ecological conditions which require from all participants to come up with mutually acceptable solution on the way out from the current critical situation in the sphere of providing countries of the region with water-energy resources.

As you know, our republic is located in the rivers formation zone the flow of which is intensively utilized by Kyrgyzstan , and Kazakhstan , Tajikistan , Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan for irrigation, electric power generation, drinking and industrial needs. The rivers natural total average long-term runoff accounts to 47.23 cubic kilometers.

At the same time our republic is currently facing threat of substantial decrease of fresh water stocks. For example, because of the global warming from the existing 8200 glaciers of a total area about 8.17 thousand square kilometers on Tian-Shan, Pamir-Alay mountains more than 2000 glaciers has melted which recede with an average speed of 8 meters in a year. It influences on water sufficiency in the rivers, vegetation and, first of all, climate change in the Central Asia .

In this connection, there is essential necessity to take emergency actions for preservation of the rivers formation zone, restoration and expansion of forest fund taking into account their influence on the rivers flow mode which, as a whole, requires attraction of considerable financial resources.

With this view it is necessary to channel funds of International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea for recovery works in formation zones of Amudarya and Syrdarya rivers. It is extremely clear that in case of further decrease of water resources in the rivers formation zone, in lower courses of Amudarya and Syrdarya there will be nothing to operate and divide soon.

Moreover, the most dangerous challenge is also a threat of the radioactive pollution the source of which is a heritage of the common past of the region - wastes of mining industry and manufacture of lead, zinc, mercury, antimony, uranium, rare-earth metals accumulated in the territory of the Kyrgyz Republic for many years of the Soviet period. There is a risk of radiation-dangerous of ecological catastrophe occurrence for Central Asia ’s territory with a total population of about 5 million which covers possible impact zone.

While specifying the increased ecological challenges for Kyrgyzstan I did not wish to diminish the importance of resolving ecological problem of the Aral Sea for all countries of the region. It is necessary to realize that the crisis in the Aral Sea basin became possible because of inefficient and more and more increasing use of water for irrigation of lands.

At the same time during the last decade in Kyrgyzstan there is stabilization in a water consumption level, the water draw-off volume is at the range of 8-10 billion cubic meters. That is for the last twenty years the republic’s total water draw-off has been reduced to 40 %, and water draw-off from subsurface horizon has been reduced three times or to 70 %. For comparison, the republic’s maximum water draw-off fell at 1987-1990 and has come to 13 billion cubic meters.

In this context I would like to raise an issue with regard to water facilities in our republic. The main hydro-energy capacities - mostly on the Naryn cascade – were created in Kyrgyzstan as the national energy assets during the Soviet period. It is an indisputable fact, and today under the conditions of deficiency of natural energy carriers with a view of sustainable maintenance of the population with power resources, especially during the cold winter period, our state should do a special emphasis on hydro-energy development. For example, construction of the Nizhnenarynsky cascade of water basins, and first of all, the Kambarata Hydro-Power Stations 1 and 2. In case of implementation of the above said projects not only our republic’s energy needs will be completely satisfied but also it will allow the Toktogul hydrosystem to operate in an irrigation regime which our regional partners are interested in. It is necessary to emphasize that our republic’s hydro-energy is not a water consuming branch since hydro - power stations at water basins can change only a regime of water drawdown taking into account energy necessity.

In particular, according to comparative analysis of average long-term runoff before construction of the Toktogul Reservoir and bringing hydro-power station into operation, during 1910 - 1975, the Naryn river flow in that alignment accounted to 11.4 billion cubic meters. After beginning river flow regulation in the site of Toktogul hydrosystem during the period of 1975 - 2008, inflow and consumption accounted to over 12 billion cubic meters. During the period of work under intergovernmental agreements with the neighboring republics from 1995 to 2008 the average long-term inflow and consumption has been increased and amounted to over 13 billion cubic meters.

The above stated data confirms that during the all periods the reservoir release volume in the site of Toktogul hydrosystem did not decrease below natural level, and during other periods, especially in shallow, even exceeded natural point thanks to compensating ability of the Toktogul Reservoir. Therefore we consider that the created water basins have not affected decrease in releasing water resources for the river of Syrdarya and the Aral Sea . Meanwhile I wish to specially note that the largest part of the difficulties to overcome low water-level problems and severe winter of the last year have laid down on shoulders of the population of Kyrgyzstan who has experienced all burdens of the electric power deficiency and fan power cutting-off measures aimed at preservation of water. Nevertheless the water release volume in summer of 2008 remained within the annual point.

A strategic issue that requires solution here can be only bringing closer irrigation and power schedules of water drawdown and compensatory deliveries of fuel resources which should be the subject of interstate cooperation among the interested parties and application of water saving up technologies. In turn, the Kyrgyz side intends to implement its commitments on further mutually beneficial water supply of the region.

At this point it is important to emphasize that in the report of the World Bank as of 2004 on «Water Energy Nexus in Central Asia » the undertaken actions of Kyrgyzstan are supported as a whole. In particular, experts of the World Bank consider that in order to achieve sustainable regional cooperation and pure benefits for both up-stream and down-stream countries are fairly be optimized, it is necessary to accept the reconsidered approach. Particularly the given authoritative financial institution recommends to recognize openly the principle where the upstream country needs indemnification in the monetary form for its services in water accumulation which it is obliged to provide with at significant costs to its economy, and in the certain agreements it is also necessary to provide a sum to be paid in the monetary form for the services in accumulation of water. Besides, the World Bank confirms the position of our republic that construction of the Kambarata Hydro- Power Stations 1 and 2 will allow Kyrgyzstan to increase winter power generation without increasing winter discharges of water. According to experts of the World Bank the above stated projects would substantially increase summer power output in Kyrgyzstan .

We are deeply confident that the problem of ecological improvement of the Aral Sea basin is closely interconnected with the decision of the issue on rational use of water-energy resources. Thereupon, we propose to convene consultations among the governments of all Central Asian countries to discuss the all complex of problems and explore mutually acceptable mechanism on using of water-energy resources.

Distinguished Heads of States,

With a view of addressing regional challenges it is important to encourage International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea in accelerating its activities in favor of all countries-participants and strengthening cooperation with the international organizations. For this purpose, in our view, there is a necessity of gradual reforming the IFAS and its structural organs according to the present day realities, and in case of expediency, reduction of inefficient bodies of the Fund.

A considerable importance should also be given to improvement of the IFAS’s activities in accordance with the world practice of reporting system by all bodies of the Fund. In that case, to our view, their responsibility for the activities being conducted will be strengthened taking into account interests of all Central-Asian states.

During the meeting in Dushanbe , 2002, Noursultan Nazarbaev has proposed to establish international administrations on the Syrdarya and Amudarya rivers on the basis of existing basin water economic associations “Syrdarya” and “Amudarya” and other water economic organizations. Supporting that initiative, I would like to propose establishing in accordance with the international practice, of separate intergovernmental commissions on each river, with equal participation of water and energy experts of the parties. As a successful example I would like to point out the activity of bilateral Kyrgyz-Kazakhstan Commission on the river Chu-Talas.

A considerable approach is also necessary to define member-states contributions to the Fund in order to find their most favorable for the current situation level. In our opinion, the proposed amount of differentiated financial contributions, that is above a scale of the United Nations contributions, is (overrated) overestimated and requires more accurate and well-considered discussion.

In conclusion I would like to highlight that only by common efforts of the states of Central Asia, including further development of cooperation within the IFAS framework, it is possible to reach preservation of water-energy balance, and in this connection I hope that we will reach mutual understanding on all issues relating to rational use of water-energy resources of the region.

Thank you for your attention.