Russia sees water cooperation as tool to unite Eurasia

DUSHANBE, May 25. /TASS/. Russia believes that water cooperation can bring Eurasia together, First Secretary of the Department of International Organizations at the Russian Foreign Ministry Nikolay Lomakin.

"The Russian Federation is ready to share its expertise in the reforestation sphere, support mutual scientific research, roll out technologies and monitor water and forest objects. We view water diplomacy as a promising instrument to consolidate the Eurasian space and benefit our common interests," he said at an international roundtable titled "Water and Forests: Time to Build Bridges."

Lomakin recalled that forests, water and soil are interconnected resources and stressed that we must protect and maintain them. According to the diplomat, protecting forests means more water, better soil and less erosion.

"Forests cover about 30% of land and keep within more than 80% of biodiversity. They hold more than 70% of the fresh water available in the world, regulate river runoff and filter moisture, as well as providing food for more than 1.5 bln people. According to the UN, about 10 mln hectares of forest are lost annually across the globe. And that results in unreplenished groundwater and more frequent droughts," he noted.

Reforestation contributes to ensuring a clean water supply, preserves environmental sites, and keeps soil from degrading, all while meeting the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement, Lomakin said.

"These problems are particularly pressing for Central Asia, a region where average temperatures continue to rise, glacial river sources are declining, and water shortage is becoming one of the key challenges for socioeconomic development. This is exactly where water and forest symbiosis acquires not merely ecological but also climatic and socioeconomic significance," the Russian diplomat added.