President of Turkmenistan participated in the Meeting of the Council of Heads of State-Founders of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea

On April 22, 2026, in the afternoon, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov took part in the regular meeting of the Council of Heads of State-Founders of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS).

At the Akorda Palace, the President of Turkmenistan was warmly welcomed by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

Following the official joint photo ceremony of the heads of delegations, the meeting of the Council of Heads of State-Founders of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea was held.

Welcoming the participants of the Summit, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev emphasized the importance of strategic regional cooperation under current conditions, noting that the environmental well-being of the Aral Sea region has a direct impact on the food and energy security of the IFAS founding states.

The floor was then given to the participants of the meeting.

At the beginning of his speech, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov expressed his gratitude to the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, for the high level of organization of the meeting of the Council of Heads of State-Founders of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea, as well as for the hospitality extended.

President Serdar Berdimuhamedov stressed that the main goal of the countries of the region is not to allow vital issues for our peoples to be pushed into the background, but, on the contrary, to preserve and strengthen mechanisms of international partnership and coordination in the region.

In this context, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov recalled that during Turkmenistan’s chairmanship of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea in 2017–2019, focused and responsible attention was paid to the practical tasks of IFAS.

As noted, upon the initiative of Turkmenistan, resolutions titled “Cooperation between the United Nations and IFAS” were adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2018 and 2019. Further developing Turkmenistan’s proposal, first voiced at the Rio+20 Summit, on establishing a Special UN Programme for the Aral Sea Basin (UN SPAS), Turkmenistan presented the draft programme in 2019 at the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). Subsequently, at the 79th session of ESCAP, a resolution entitled “Consideration of the Conditions for the Establishment of a United Nations Special Programme for the Aral Sea Basin” was adopted. In addition, with the active participation of Turkmenistan and in cooperation with international organizations, the fourth phase of the Aral Sea Basin Programme (ASBP-4) was developed.

Continuing his address, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov noted that Turkmenistan has put forward an initiative to establish a United Nations Regional Center for Climate Technology in Central Asia, which is expected to begin operating in Ashgabat in the near future.

The Head of State also emphasized that the problems of the Aral Sea cannot be considered in isolation from other pressing environmental challenges in Central Asia, such as desertification, glacier melting, transboundary water management issues, and others.

In this regard, expressing the need to harmonize national approaches to environmental challenges and to significantly strengthen the coordinating functions of regional cooperation mechanisms, particularly through foreign policy and sectoral agencies, the President of Turkmenistan also highlighted the importance of enhancing the coordinating role of IFAS in this process.

In this context, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov proposed accelerating efforts to improve and modernize the legal and regulatory framework of IFAS and to define new objectives for future joint activities.

In conclusion of his speech, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov congratulated the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, on the assumption of the chairmanship of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea and wished him success in his future work.

Once again expressing gratitude to the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, for the successful chairmanship of IFAS and for hosting the meeting at a high level, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov wished all participants success in their work.

Following the meeting, a number of documents were signed, including: the Astana Statement of the Heads of State-Founders of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea; the Decision on the election of the President of IFAS; the Decision on the results of the Chairmanship of the Republic of Kazakhstan in IFAS; and the Decision declaring March 26 as the International Day of the Aral Sea, the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya rivers.

Upon completion of his working visit to the Republic of Kazakhstan, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov departed for his homeland from the Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport in Astana.