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The Council of Albanian Ambassadors (CAA) has expressed deep concern over Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić’s remarks about the possible alteration of the course of the Ibër River. The CAA warns that any unilateral action involving the river and the Ujman/Gazivoda water system could threaten Kosovo’s water, energy and environmental security, and calls on Belgrade to ensure transparency, prior consultation and full respect for international law.
Full statement by the Council of Albanian Ambassadors (CAA)
The Council of Albanian Ambassadors (CAA) expresses its deep concern regarding the recent statement by the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, indicating that the Serbian authorities are considering the possibility of altering the course of the Ibër River and have reportedly engaged experts to examine such an option.
The CAA considers it particularly troubling that an issue directly related to water resources, energy security and the well-being of citizens is being introduced into the political sphere and potentially used as an instrument of pressure against the Republic of Kosova.
The Ibër River and the Ujman/Gazivoda water system are of vital importance for Kosova’s water supply, electricity generation, economic development and the daily lives of its citizens, regardless of ethnicity. Any unilateral action aimed at altering the natural course of the river and capable of producing significant transboundary consequences must be approached with the utmost responsibility and in full accordance with international law.
The CAA recalls that international water law is founded upon several fundamental principles, including: the equitable and reasonable utilization of shared water resources; the obligation of States to take all appropriate measures to prevent significant harm to other riparian parties; the duty to cooperate and exchange information; the obligation to provide prior notification and engage in consultations concerning planned measures that may have significant transboundary effects; and the protection of ecosystems and the sustainable use of shared water resources.
These principles are reflected, inter alia, in the 1997 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses, as well as in the 1992 UNECE Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes, both of which constitute important elements of the international legal framework governing the peaceful and sustainable management of shared water resources.
Accordingly, any project intended to alter the course of a transboundary river and which may have serious consequences for the water supply, energy security, environment or economic life of another territory cannot be regarded as a purely domestic matter. Such actions require transparency, comprehensive transboundary environmental and socio-economic impact assessments, prior notification, consultations and genuine cooperation with all affected parties, in accordance with the applicable rules and principles of international law.
The CAA considers the use of water and other essential natural resources as instruments of political pressure to be unacceptable. Such rhetoric is inconsistent with the principles of regional cooperation, good neighborly relations and the values upon which the European future of the Western Balkans should be built.
The CAA calls upon President Vučić and the institutions of the Republic of Serbia to refrain from any unilateral initiative or action that could undermine the water, energy, economic or environmental security of the Republic of Kosova and its citizens.
At the same time, the CAA calls upon the European Union, the United States of America, the OSCE and other international partners to treat these statements with due seriousness and to seek transparency and clarification from the authorities in Belgrade regarding the existence of any concrete plans to alter the course of the Ibër River.
The Council of Albanian Ambassadors reiterates that water is a vital resource that should unite rather than divide peoples. Lasting peace and stability in the region cannot be built through threats or the instrumentalization of natural resources, but only through dialogue, cooperation, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and full adherence to international law.
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