Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov on Wednesday proposed creating a regional climate technology center and a center to combat desertification for Central Asian countries while speaking at a regional environmental summit in Astana.
State media reported that Berdimuhamedov stressed the need to consider the region’s historical traditions, national mindset and long-standing practices of careful stewardship of nature, water, land and wildlife.
Speaking at the eco-summit at the Astana Congress Center under the theme “Shared Vision for a Sustainable Future,” Berdimuhamedov said the country’s broad environmental agenda was being discussed at a high state level for the first time and added that this reflects the readiness of participating states to adopt more effective, systematic and forward-looking approaches to environmental protection, climate change and related social equity issues.
Berdimuhamedov said countries are facing serious environmental challenges, including climate change, declining water resources, land degradation, accelerating desertification, biodiversity loss and rising migration from areas unsuitable for living.
He said that, in these conditions, coordinating the efforts of states and expanding cooperation with international organizations, primarily the United Nations and its specialized agencies, is of particular importance.
Berdimuhamedov also said the issue of the Aral Sea remains a pressing concern and expressed confidence that the meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the founding countries of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea, scheduled for Wednesday, would adopt necessary decisions on joint measures aimed at saving the Aral Sea.