Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Aug. 28
By Huseyn Hasanov– Trend:
The United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA) is a long-standing and reliable partner of founders of the International Fund for saving the Aral Sea (IFAS) on water and environmental issues, special representative of the UN secretary-general for Central Asia, head of the UNRCCA Natalia Gherman said, the Neutral Turkmenistan newspaper reported Aug. 28.
The diplomat noted that the UN and the UNRCCA highly appreciate the results of the recent summit of heads of the IFAS founding states in Avaza resort in Turkmenistan.
One of the important outcomes of the event is the joint communique of the summit, expressing the common political will of the parties and confirming their readiness to continue constructive partnership, according to the report.
“The UNRCCA supports the proposals of the Turkmen side on a systematic approach to regional cooperation based on a legal mechanism that takes into account the interests of all countries of the region in the issue of integrated water resources management, and is also ready to actively join promotion of the water diplomacy initiative,” the report said.
Turkmenistan once proposed to open a regional center for technologies in Ashgabat related to climate change in Central Asia and develop the UN Aral Sea Program and the UN Water Strategy.
Turkmenistan borders Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Iran and Afghanistan and uses water resources coming in accordance with agreed quotas from four trans-boundary rivers, namely, Amu Darya, Tejen, Atrek and Murgab.
Turkmenistan has a problem of the Aral Sea ecology, which is most noticeable in the northern region. In the Dashoguz region there were problems with the provision of drinking water and the fight against salinization of cultivation lands.