Azerbaijan and Georgia Preparing an Agreement on the Kura Basin

Last week Tbilisi hosted a meeting of representatives of Azerbaijan and Georgia under the auspices of the UN to discuss draft bilateral agreement on the management of water resources in the basin of the river Kura.

The talks were held in the framework of the project implemented jointly by the Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the OSCE.

As reported on the website of the UN, the meeting was constructive, the draft agreement is almost ready and only a few provisions have left align.

For Azerbaijan and Georgia the Kura is an important source of drinking water and is also used for industry, hydropower and irrigation.

The deterioration of the water quality causes degradation of the ecosystem, flooding and coastal erosion - these are some of the issues that must be addressed jointly by the two riparian states.

All these issues are reflected in the draft agreement between Georgia and Azerbaijan. The project also provides for the establishment of a joint commission for the protection and management of water resources in the basin of the Kura. -02D-