Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan are preparing to jointly block Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan’s proposed hydroelectric projects, according to media outlets in Kyrgyzstan.

Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan are preparing to jointly block Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan’s proposed hydroelectric projects, according to media outlets in Kyrgyzstan.

Both downstream users of Central Asia’s main waterways, the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers, may use an upcoming conference on the Aral Sea to try to block hydro-power projects under consideration by Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, which are both water-rich, but otherwise resource poor.

Published reports in Bishkek have speculated that Kazakhstani Prime Minister Karim Masimov’s visit to Tashkent on April 3 was used to coordinate a "united front" ahead of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea meeting in Almaty on April 28.

Meanwhile, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan are slated to sign a water and energy sharing protocol in the coming days, the CA-News.org news website reported April 6. The agreement would cover the upcoming agricultural season.