Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, Jan.28 / Trend H.Hasanov /
Presidents of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov and Islam Karimov focused in their telephone conversation on such important problem as saving of the Aral sea requiring immediate and agreed decision, the Turkmen government said on Saturday.
The Turkmen head wished Uzbekistan successful work as a chairman of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS) during a 3-year period.
The IFAS founded in the 90s by Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan aims at financing joint projects and programs on the saving of the Aral and improving ecological situation near the Aral.
The Aral problem affected northern Turkmenistan. Dashoguz province was negatively affected by the ecological catastrophe, problems related to providing population with pure drinking water and struggle against salinization of cultivated land arose sharply there.
The International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea was given observer status in the UN General Assembly in 2008.
The Turkmen government also said the heads of the two states expressed 'satisfaction with opportunity to discuss in personal talk the most pressing issues of intergovernmental cooperation, meeting interests of the two fraternal peoples, connected from ancient times with spiritual and historical community".
Prospects of development of Turkmen-Uzbek dialogue as well as some issues of regional and international politics of common interest were touched upon during the talk.
"Noting exceptionally business nature of long-term successful partnership and existing huge potential for its further strengthening, the both sides stressed mutual interest of the countries in activization of efficient cooperation in all areas as well as under the regional cooperation," the government said.
Two states are connected with a number of large projects; in particular gas pipeline from Turkmenistan to China via Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan was launched in Dec, 2009. The both sides study an opportunity of cooperation in implementation of railway project to connect Central Asia with the Gulf countries.