UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon yesterday urged restraint in a growing dispute between Uzbekistan and Tajikistan over the fate of a massive Tajik hydroelectric dam project.
Ban, in Tajikistan as part of a tour through former Soviet Central Asia, said he was “deeply concerned” over the dispute, which has seen Uzbekistan block rail shipments to its impoverished neighbor.
“All parties concerned should refrain from unilateral action until the [international assessment team] has concluded its technical assessment of Tajikistan’s proposed hydroelectric project,” he told reporters in Dushanbe.
“These resources should be used fairly and harmoniously respecting the interests of neighboring countries. This is a collective responsibility for all of the leaders of Central Asia and the international community,” he said.
Tajikistan, the poorest of the former Soviet republics of Central Asia, had pledged to move ahead unilaterally in the construction of a project it hopes will allow it to eventually become a net-exporter of electricity.
The Rogun dam, which was first conceived as a gigantic Soviet hydroelectric power project, stalled as Tajikistan plunged into civil war in the early 1990s after the breakup of the Soviet Union.
But Tashkent fears the dam will damage its vital cotton industry, which depends on water which flows in from Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, and have a negative impact on the environment of millions of Uzbeks living downstream.
Uzbekistan, which has cut natural gas exports to Tajikistan during their frequent diplomatic spats, has been holding up railway deliveries since last month. Tashkent denies the holdup is intentional, blaming technical problems.
“I am deeply concerned about what I heard about the potential crisis from the blockage of train shipments on the border, particularly agricultural implements in this planting season,” Ban said.
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