As previously reported, at the June 16 meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers, the President of Turkmenistan signed a package of documents related to the country's chairmanship in the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS) in 2017-2019. In particular, in accordance with the Regulations on the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea in Ashgabat, the Executive Committee of IFAS was established; their structures as well as the Regulations on the Executive Committee of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea were approved.
On June 19, 2017 in Ashgabat, the solemn ceremony of opening the building of the Executive Committee of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS) was held. Before entering the office of the Executive Committee, the national flags of the founding countries of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea - Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan - were raised. Then the participants of the event got acquainted with the conditions created for the successful functioning of the central office of the Executive Committee.
On the same day an international conference "The Role of the International Fund for saving the Aral Sea in the Development of Cooperation in the Central Asian Region" was held in the building of the Agricultural Complex of Turkmenistan. The forum was organized within the framework of Turkmenistan's chairmanship in IFAS for the period 2017-2019.
Heads of diplomatic missions accredited in our country, representatives of the OSCE, UNDP, the UN Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy and the Regional Environmental Center for Central Asia (CAREC), the German Society for International Cooperation, the World Bank, ADB, EBRD, and accredited in Turkmenistan foreign journalists attended the conference.
Representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources, the State Committee for Environmental Protection and Land Resources of Turkmenistan, students and teachers from various universities of the country participated in the meeting from the Turkmen side.
The participants spoke about various aspects of IFAS activities aimed at combating the consequences of the Aral Sea crisis and preventing the degradation of ecosystems in the Aral Sea, preserving biodiversity and the environment of Central Asia and sustainable use of natural resources, and promoting economic and social development of the peoples of the region. The role of international organizations in the activities of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea was considered, and the main areas of cooperation on this issue were discussed with the involvement of expert and donor support.
