DUSHANBE -- Tajikistan has handed a note to Russia's official representative in Dushanbe expressing concern about Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's comments on the construction of hydropower stations in the region.
During a visit to Uzbekistan last week, Medvedev said that all plans on the construction of new hydropower stations should be approved by all the Central Asian countries.
On January 26, Tajik Foreign Ministry spokesman Davlat Nazri told RFE/RL's Tajik Service that the ministry's note says Medvedev's statement contradicts Tajik-Russian agreements, including one on Russia's involvement in the construction of the Roghun power station on the Vakhsh river.
Uzbekistan has long opposed the project, but Tajik officials are committed to building the 347-meter-tall dam despite Uzbek concerns.
Landlocked Uzbekistan relies on its neighbors for water supplies and for transit routes to export its energy resources, while Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan are the region's two major water suppliers.