Azerbaijan, Iran reach deal on Araz river water distribution

Azerbaijan and Iran have reached an agreement on water allocation arrangements for the Araz River and have also discussed expanding cooperation on water quality monitoring and the management of related infrastructure, the Azerbaijan State Water Resources Agency (ADSEA), has stated.

It said the deal was finalised during the 55th session of the Azerbaijan-Iran Permanent Joint Commission on the Use of Water and Energy Resources of the Araz River, which took place in Iran between June 8 and 11, Caliber.Az reports, citing local media.

The meeting was co-chaired on the Azerbaijani side by Zakir Guliyev, chairman of the Board of the Regional Water Reclamation Service, and on the Iranian side by Fariba Avarideh, head of the General Directorate for Border Rivers at Iran’s Ministry of Energy.

Officials from Azerbaijan’s Regional Water Reclamation Service, the State Service for Supervision of Use and Protection of Water Resources under ADSEA, the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, and Azerenergy also took part in the talks.

During the session, the parties agreed on and approved operating regimes for the distribution of water resources from the Araz River.

They also discussed monitoring water sampling and quality, installing modern measurement equipment, and other areas of cooperation.

At the conclusion of the meeting, a final protocol was signed setting out the planned joint activities between the two sides.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov