WATER DIPLOMACY – A STRATEGIC INSTRUMENT FOR ENSURING UZBEKISTAN'S REGIONAL WATER SECURITY

This article provides an in-depth analysis of the water diplomacy of the Republic of Uzbekistan as a strategic instrument amid the challenges of transboundary water resource use in the Central Asian region. It examines the interrelated legal (international water law, the treaty framework, institutional mechanisms) and water-management (hydrotechnical infrastructure, irrigation systems, rational resource management, technological solutions) dimensions of the concept of water security. Particular attention is given to Uzbekistan's constructive approach since 2017, based on good-neighborliness and mutually beneficial cooperation, to bilateral and multilateral agreements, the newly revised Water Code (2025), the wide-scale introduction of water-saving technologies, the digitalization of water resource management, and the initiative to declare 2026–2036 the “Decade of Practical Action for Rational Water Use in Central Asia.” The article scientifically substantiates the role of water diplomacy in ensuring regional stability, balancing national interests, and securing long-term water security. The research findings show that water diplomacy is not merely a foreign-policy tool but a strategic mechanism inextricably linked to domestic water-sector reforms.