Yerevan-Ankara. “water” partnership is gaining momentum

The session of the Armenian-Turkish commission for the joint use of Akhuryan and Araks rivers was held for the first time in the last 10 years at the end of May in Yerevan, the Water Committee of Armenia reported, without providing any details.

It is noted that the meeting of the representatives of the permanent border water resource management committees “Operation of Sardarapat Regulator” and “Operation of Akhuryan Reservoir” took place first at the border of the two countries (Akhuryan), then continued in the administrative building of “Jrar” CJSC (Yerevan).

Director of “Jrar” Tigran Vardanyan briefly noted that the signed documents “were drawn up on mutually beneficial terms”. It is reported that some important agreements have been reached. Although the details are not published, according to unofficial information, firstly, the Armenian side was allowed until this year. to carry out 12% more water intake including August. Secondly, the parties have agreed to take joint measures to prevent flooding in Akhuryan (including work-related reservoirs) and Araks, increase water supply during dry periods, and joint reproduction of fish resources. S. year by the end of the third quarter, it is planned to coordinate the ecological complex monitoring program of transboundary water bodies.

The length of the Akhuryan River is 186 km, about 2/3 of which passes through the Armenian-Turkish border. The major tributaries of Akhuryan are (from both sides) East Turkish Kars (the largest), Karakhan, Kars, Charyun, Ani, Tekor and Karangum.

The total area of ​​the water catchment area is 9670 sq km (almost identical to the area of ​​Cyprus).  Karnut (small) and Akhuryan reservoirs are built on the river, which are mainly used for agro-improvement/irrigation.: Near Gyumri, on Akhuryan, there is the medium-capacity Gyumri HPP, built in the late 1920s, which is one of the oldest in Armenia.

1973 The USSR and Turkish governments have signed an indefinite-term agreement “On the construction and cooperation of a dam and a reservoir on the Akhuryan border river”. Accordingly, Armenia, according to additional documents of this agreement of 1973-1975, has the right to use half of the flow volume of two transboundary rivers, Araks and Akhuryan, which additionally increases the balance of water resources of the republic by 0.945 cubic kilometers per year.

The parity principle of water use in this basin (as between the Georgian SSR, the Nakhichevan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic of Azerbaijan, and Turkey on the other) was first established by the 1927 Soviet-Turkish Convention on “Water Use in Boundary Rivers”, which is also not limited by the period of validity.

The Akhuryan Reservoir, located in the northwest of the Armenian SSR, on the border with Turkey, was built by both countries in 1974-1982 and put into operation in 1982-83. 62.5% of its surface is located in the territory of Turkey (Yerevan proposed to create 55-58.5% of the reservoir area in the Armenian SSR, but this option was not implemented). The average seasonal capacity of the reservoir is approximately 521.5-525 million cubic meters, which often reaches 545-550 million cubic meters during periods of excess water.

These water resources are allocated for use on a strictly equitable basis, 50%/50% for agricultural irrigation and land reclamation on both sides (with minimal deviations due to uneven reservoir filling). A maximum of 13-14.5% (usually 10-11%) of the total water supply is used for local municipal and domestic needs. Akhuryan dam is 45 meters high.

Cooperation between Ankara and Yerevan on the mentioned issue has been saved also after 1991, in the absence of diplomatic relations, although the frequency of joint water economic commission meetings remained low until approximately the second half of the 2010s. At the end of 2017, the head of the Water Committee of Armenia, Arsen Harutyunyan, noted: “…Except for the Araks River, Armenians and Turks jointly clean the bed of the Akhuryan River. Most often, Armenian-Turkish working meetings (within the framework of the Water Economic Commission) are held on the banks of the Akhuryan Reservoir.

If it is dry season, we meet more often. We discuss, regulate the water intake, coordinate the work. decisions are always taken exclusively on the basis of consensus. In 2017, more than 10 such meetings were held. The issues are raised more often by the Armenian side, because the issue of agricultural irrigation is more acute on the Armenian side of the border. As for the Turks, they are generally willing to make concessions.”

In recent years, practical interaction has been an additional incentive get, which is quite logical in the context of the diversification of the foreign policy course of the republic, emphasizing the dialogue with the Turkic neighbors.

Alexey Baliev

vpoanalytics.com

Translation by Zhanna Avetisyan

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