Explaining the Hydropolitical Relations of the Kura-Aras Basin Countries

Over the past few decades, emerging environmental threats arising from population growth, the expansion of urbanization, and climate change has led to an increasing threat to water resources on a subnational to transnational scale. The threat to the survival of ecosystems and human societies due to water scarcity, especially in low rainfall areas, has played an effective role in strengthening the aspects of cooperation in hydropolitical relations. The relative power of the countries located in a common basin is one of the reasons of hydro-hegemony, and its most severe form occurs when the country upstream of the basin is the most powerful country or spatial political unit of the basin. The present study aimed at the hydropolitical relations of the countries of the Kura-Aras basins, the inputs of which were conducted using the foundation data method (Grounded Theory) and by conducting semi-structured interviews, and therefore, the question is what are the hydropolitical relations of the countries of the Kura-Aras basin? The results of 30 interviews showed that the most important factors influencing the hydropolitical relations of the countries of this basin are Turkey's dam constructions, river pollution by Armenia, the unclear legal regime of the Aras-Kura River, the economic development plans of the countries of the catchment, weakness management of water resources in the catchment basin and its consequences, threats to food security and agriculture, threats to human health, migration, drying up of the fertile plains of the region, especially Moghan due to pollution, destruction of Arsbaren forests, threats to Iran's national security in the north-west of the country, and the future conflict and tension among the countries of the catchment and the reduction of river water quality.
 
Extended Abstract
Introduction
The Kura-Ares basin is located in the South Caucasus region between Iran, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia. When the quantity of water does not keep up with the growing demand or its quality decreases, the competition between the actors who use the water intensifies. This situation shows its most destabilizing effect when the territory of a watershed crosses political borders. An issue that occurs in almost all basins in the Caucasus, including in the Kura-Ares basin. But experience has shown that in many situations, instead of starting a new conflict, common water needs have been able to create cooperation at an unexpected level. Therefore, the actors and political, economic and environmental actors of the Kura-Ares river basin in the South Caucasus are numerous, diverse and both regional and global. The main use of Kura-Ares water in Georgia is agriculture, agriculture and industry in Armenia, and the primary source of drinking water supply in the Republic of Azerbaijan. However, the water basin is excessively polluted. Considering the lack of monitoring of urban and industrial wastewater, agricultural return flows and excessive use of pesticides, especially in the Republic of Azerbaijan and oil-related industries, the extraction and melting of metals in Georgia and Armenia, the natural mechanism of this basin is facing serious challenges.
Therefore, due to the increasing harvest of Turkey and Armenia in the upstream parts of the river, the need for water resources will increase even more in the downstream countries. The aim of the current research is to explain and identify the type of hydropolitical relations of the countries of the Kura-Aras watershed, and therefore, the question is raised, what are the hydropolitical relations of the countries of the Kura-Aras watershed?.
Methodology
This research tries to explore the problem of hydropolitical relations of the countries of the Kura-Aras basin using the grounded theory. Grounded theory is a type of qualitative and inductive methodology that has been less used in hydropolitics studies so far, but it focuses more on the analysis process that can extract people's subjective perception of the existing situation based on systematic and coded analysis (from open and semi-structured questions). This theory includes three main steps, including open, central and selective coding, which is derived from the answers of experts and professionals to open questions in a semi-structured interview. The research population consisted of experts and scientific elites who specialize in the field of hydropolitics in general and more specifically in the field of hydropolitical relations of Aras River.
Results and discussion
Hydropolitical crises and the complexity of issues show the power of countries in the management of transboundary waters. In this case, an in-depth interview was conducted with 30 experts (geography, hydropolitics, water management, sociology, international relations, and water engineering, etc.). A number of important and fundamental codes has been found in the field of hydropolitical relations of the countries of the Kura-Aras basin. 19 basic and conceptual categories (emigration, geographical and geopolitical location, population increase, environmental, climate change, agriculture and food security, international water rights, management, actors and activists, socio-cultural transformations, political crises, water shortage, industrialization and dam construction, water quality, government cooperation, water diplomacy, national security, health and health, hydro-hegemony) play an important role in the hydropolitics of Kura-Aras. Finally, 11 main and important categories that play an important role in the hydropolitical relations of the countries of the Kura-Aras basin included: geopolitics, water diplomacy, social, environment, infrastructure, security, agriculture, legal, climate change, power, water pollution. The hydropolitical relations of the countries of the Kura-Aras basin, where Turkey has built dams on the main branches of the Kura-Aras (Karakut Dam and Bishkek Dam). They were built or are being built, and the country of Armenia through copper mines, domestic sewage and power plants and the presence of the Zionist regime in water projects in the region, the lack of a legal regime will cause tension between the countries and in the not too distant future the situation of the Kora watershed. Aras will be a serious problem for the national security of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Conclusion
This basin is naturally located in Iran due to its border situation and Aras water supply and the location of a part of this basin inside the Iranian soil. Moreover, considering the existence of a common border with Russia and the membership of three coastal countries in the European Union, it is placed in the sphere of influence and interest of great powers and international organizations. They have to cooperate with each other to exploit common water resources. The limitation of governments in obtaining their rights for non-shipping uses of international shared water resources has always been the cause of differences between upstream and downstream governments. In this research, the hydropolitical relations of the countries of the Aras-Kura basin have been investigated. The results of analysis and based on the theoretical model of hydropolitical relations, some important issues include: Turkish dams, river pollution by Armenia, the lack of determination of the legal regime of Aras-Kura River, the economic development plans of the countries of the basin, the lack of proper management of the water resources of the basin, the severe lack of water resources in the fertile plains of northwest Iran, the increase in the population of the countries of the basin, the excessive extraction of Aras by Armenia and Turkey, climate change, the geopolitical crisis of the Caucasus, the historical enmity of Armenians with the Turks, the separatism of Georgia, the lack of dredging of the river, the morphological changes of the river, the conflict of the countries of the basin, not having any common agreement in this basin and the expansion of industries.
Funding
Iran national science foundation.
Authors’ Contribution
Authors contributed equally to the conceptualization and writing of the article. All of the authors approved the content of the manuscript and agreed on all aspects of the work.
Conflict of Interest
The authors report no conflicts of interest.
Acknowledgments
I would like to express my gratitude to Kharazmi University of Tehran, the support of Iran national science foundation.