UN General Assembly
2014

shortages, the fair and reasonable use of the resources of the transboundary Amu Darya and Syr Darya Rivers becomes extremely important to the life support and well-being of the population of Central Asia. Uzbekistan adheres firmly to the principled position that the issue of the reasonable use of Central Asia’s transboundary river resources must be resolved according to the universally recognized norms of international law and within the framework of the relevant United Nations conventions on the use of international watercourses, which clearly define the principles of preventing damage to the environment and interests of neighbouring countries. We believe it is unacceptable that certain countries in the region are promoting the construction of large hydropower stations with gigantic dams without conducting an international, truly independent, unprejudiced and professional expert study. Implementing such projects without thorough analysis could exacerbate tensions and the potential for conflict in the region. Building such grandiose hydropower facilities in a mountainous, highly seismic area with a potential for earthquakes of magnitude of 9 points or highter could carry a high risk of devastating man-