DUSHANBE. On May 28 CAREC held a number of meetings with the members of the Board of Governors of the CAREC branch in Tajikistan. CAREC Executive Director Iskandar Abdullaev met with the First Deputy Minister of Energy and Water Resources of the Republic of Tajikistan, the Chairman of the Environmental Protection Committee under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan, and the Head of the Agency for Land Reclamation and Irrigation under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan.
During the meetings, the parties discussed the progress of the preparation for the Central Asian International Environmental Forum 2018 (CAIEF 2018) and the events planned within the forum. The sides exchanged information and opinions on the current activities and progress of implementation of CAREC projects in Tajikistan and discussed the issues of the regional and national cooperation.
"CAREC is the organization that has a balanced approach, thanks to bilateral efforts and trus work is closely coordinated with CAREC," said Mr Sulton Rahimzoda, First Deputy Minister of Energy and Water Resources of the Republic of Tajikistan. During the meeting, Mr Rahimzoda also thanked CAREC and other development partners for supporting the Water and Science Forum that will be held on June 19, 2018, in Dushanbe on the days of the International High Level Conference on the International Decade for Action "Water for Sustainable Development", 2018-2028. The sides also discussed cooperation in the direction of increasing the capacity of the Tajik Scientific Research Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and Land Reclamation (TajikNIIGiM). It was noted that it is convenient to create an innovative cluster on the basis of this institute.
"Currently, a large number of the regional projects are being implemented through CAREC, and this means a lot," Mr Ibodzoda Khairullo, Chairman of the Environmental Protection Committee under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan, said at a meeting with the CAREC Executive Director. The parties discussed the implementation of the Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Program for Aral Sea Basin, CAMP4ASB, implemented by CAREC and financed by the World Bank. In addition, the parties talked about the possibility of holding a CAIEF in Tajikistan.
At a meeting with the Agency for Land Reclamation and Irrigation under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan (ALRI), questions on the distribution of water resources in Central Asia were raised. "One of the goals of CAREC work is to promote dialogue," Mr Iskandar Abdullaev noted and suggested to organize a platform for discussion the strengthening of the water cooperation between the countries of Central Asia within the forum in Stockholm.
As a result of the meetings, mutual understanding and a decision on further close and fruitful cooperation between the national partners and CAREC were reached, and the parties agreed to consider the possibility of holding the CAIEF in Tajikistan in 2020.