Kyrgyzstan has launched a $200 million hydroelectric power plant, its first since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Kyrgyz President Roza Otunbaeva attended a ceremony marking the launch of the Karambata-2 project's first unit.
The Karambata-2 project, partly funded by Russia, will allow Kyrgyzstan to generate more electricity but could divert water from its neighbors. Uzbekistan, in particular, relies on rivers that originate or pass through Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to irrigate its cotton fields and farmland.
Uzbekistan has opposed plans for large hydroelectric projects in both countries.
compiled from agency reports