DUSHANBE, December 15, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov and his Uzbek counterpart, President Islam Karimov, discussed water-and-energy problems in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan on December 13, according to a statement released by the Turkmen Embassy in Dushanbe on December 14.

The sides, in particular, agreed to solve problems in this sphere, including construction of new hydropower facilities in the upper reaches of the transborder rivers in accordance with universally recognized principles of international law and with regard to interests of all countries of the region, the statement said.

The presidents pointed to the necessity of participation of the United Nations and other international organizations in carrying out independent examination of safety of existing hydropower facilities and especially the new ones that are under construction on the transborder rivers as well as their impact on the environment, volumes and regime of water flows 

According to Radio Liberty’s Uzbek Service, Uzbek President Islam Karimov and Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov signed an agreement to ease cross-border transit for people living along their common frontier on December 13.

Karimov, who was on a two-day visit to Turkmenistan for the opening ceremony of the Turkmenistan-China natural-gas pipeline, said the Uzbek-Turkmen talks are deeply symbolic for bilateral relations.  No specifics about the changes in border-crossing procedures were immediately reported, according to Radio Liberty.