Ladies and gentlemen,
One example for this is the Aral Sea. The progressive disappearance, since 1960, of
what was once the fourth-largest lake in the world is one of the greatest environmental
disasters on our planet. It is frightening to see the satellite images that document the massive
shrinking of the lake.
There is an artwork by T.Shevchenko, the Ukrainian poet and painter, that shows ships
sailing on the Aral Sea in 1848. This painting reminds me of my home town of Hamburg, with
its large maritime port. Hamburg’s harbour is not called “Gateway to the World” for nothing. We
all know that, today, the rusting hulls of ships lie on cracked, salty ground that was formerly the
bottom of the Aral Sea.
However, one thing gives reason for hope – the International Fund for saving the Aral
Sea, or IFAS, which is the only regional institution that unites all five Central Asian countries. At
the same time, it is the only regional organisational structure that is devoted to water
management.
IFAS is the tool with which the countries of Central Asia can conduct a constructive
exchange on the current situation and find solutions to sustainably protect and increase the
size of the Aral Sea.
In this connection, I want to highlight the conclusions that were reached at the last IFAS
summit meeting in Turkmenistan: The tasking to develop a special United Nations programme
for the Aral Seal, as part of the programme of work of the Executive Committee of IFAS, and the
adoption of a plan of action to support the countries of the Aral Sea Basin.
These deserve our special attention, not least because the plan of action came about
thanks in large part to support from Germany.
IFAS alone will not be enough to save the Aral Sea. But I strongly believe that
negotiations in the context of IFAS promote long-term dialogue and trust, and that this
institution benefits and integrates Central Asian societies.
We Germans want to do what we can to support the process of reaching an agreement
on water management in the region. It is to this end that former Federal Minister for Foreign
Affairs Frank-Walter Steinmeier, our current Federal President, established the Berlin Process
in 2008. Its aim is for the countries on the upper and lower reaches of the Syr Darya and Amu
Darya rivers to develop joint approaches. Already in 2008, its motto was “Water Unites”.
We have made available 35 million euros so far for training, political advisory services
and the establishment of institutions for transboundary water management in Central Asia.
One element is the Master’s course in Integrated Water Management at Kazakh-German
University in Almaty, which I had the opportunity to learn more about during my visit to the
University yesterday.
In the past, the Aral Sea was not the only contentious issue among the Central Asian
states. The courses and uses of the region’s rivers have time and again given rise to severe
diplomatic tensions.
Over the past two years, in Germany, we have also been observing with great interest
the changes that Uzbekistan has been initiating in the region under its new leadership.
Germany welcomes the opening of the country and the new opportunities for cooperation that
have arisen. We see a clear improvement in regional relations, and we hope that this path on
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