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international

Fund for Saving the Could you please tell us more about
Aral Sea. I continued environmental diplomacy?
my involvement in On my professional experience it’s a very specific
the regional processes and sensitive issue because it requires knowledge
as a director of the about environmental problems and the relations
Central Asia regional between countries. In addition, the subject is full
mountain centre of contradictions. Many diplomats don’t know
until 2010, when about the content of environmental problems and
Kyrgyzstan underwent have only general knowledge and imagination,
a revolution. All our and they make declarations such as “Oh, it’s very
efforts and contacts were in vain. important to support…” etc. When I came back to
Bishkek in 2008 to the position of director of the
In 2009, I was involved in the preparatory mountain region centre, I started to work on and
process on climate to the Copenhagen Summit. was closely involved in the climate negotiation
Before that, I had already in 2002 participated in process. In 2009, there was a framework of the
the preparatory process to Johannesburg summit preparatory process to the Copenhagen COP
on sustainable development. I was involved with 15. I also proposed the establishment of the
drafting many documents, and it was a great coalition of a negotiation group consisting of the
experience. mountain landlocked development countries
which includes Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and
At that time, I initiated the Central Asian Armenia. Later Afghanistan joined our group.
initiative on sustainable development that The problems of mountain countries are specific
was reflected in the final documents of the and are different from steppe countries and then
Johannesburg summit where also organized the madden countries for climate change. I started
side-event on our initiative (photo is attached). this work, but as mentioned earlier, the Kyrgyz
In 2003 this initiative was also reflected in the revolution changed it all, and the new minister
fifth ministerial conference on environment for did not understand the issue and did not support
Europe, which took place in Kyiv. I also organized my initiatives.
a regional conference for the environment and
water ministers of Central Asia, and we adopted So, what did you do?
a document “Invitation to partnership” in which I continued my work and tried to work on the
we reached out to all Central Asian countries regional level, because my position was adopted
and all donor communities for the practical by five Central Asian ministers and my mandate
realization of our Central Asian initiative on was a regional one. To this I was invited as
sustainable development. This document you the director of the mountain centre. Now, I’m
can find at the list of the documents adopted by working but without official government support
the Ministers in the Kyiv ministeririal conferece because a new specialist and new heads have
in 2003. Later, I also proposed to the Kazakhstan been appointed, and they don’t understand the
environment minister to organize in Astana the complexity and depth of our original problems.
next ministerial meeting for Europe. So, in 2011 I try to explain the issue to the new specialist, to
such a meeting took place. the new heads at the ministry of foreign affairs
and to the minister of environment, who replies,
The Regional Mountain Center of Central “Yes, that’s right, but we can’t draft a message to
Asia (RMCCA) was created by the Interstate support regional cooperation in Kyrgyzstan.”
Commission on Sustainable Development of This is why I spoke yesterday about the important
Central Asia on the initiative of the minister of potential in the Ashkhabad convention. It was
environment of Kyrgyzstan Mr.Davletkeldiev to drafted by UNEP lawyers in the beginning of
ensure environmental protection and sustainable 2000 in cooperation with some Central Asian
development of the mountain ecosystems in our countries’ authorities. Three countries signed
region. It is responsible for the coordination and this Ashkhabad convention, namely Tajikistan,
cooperation among Central Asian countries Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan. Kazakhstan
and the donor community/international and Uzbekistan have not joined us yet. In the
organizations on mountain environmental ICSD we have raised this question of why
issues, including climate disruption. they underestimate the importance of this

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