Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov addressed the meeting of the Council of Heads of State – Founding Members of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS), which is being held in Astana and chaired by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. The leaders of Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan are also participating in the event.

According to the Turkmenistan newspaper, during his speech at the summit, Serdar Berdimuhamedov emphasized that the meeting was taking place in a challenging geopolitical environment and urged that vital issues for the region not be sidelined. "Saving the Aral Sea, its future, and the fate of the people living along its coastline are the political and moral responsibility of our countries," he stated.

The head of Turkmenistan recalled that during the country's chairmanship of the IFAS from 2017 to 2019, Ashgabat worked purposefully on the fund's practical objectives. Specifically, at Turkmenistan's initiative, UN resolutions on cooperation with IFAS were adopted in 2018 and 2019. In May 2023, the UN Economic and Social Council for the Asia-Pacific adopted a resolution on the conditions for establishing a UN Special Program for the Aral Sea Region. Work was also underway on the fourth stage of the Program of Action to assist countries in the region.

Serdar Berdimuhamedov also announced that a UN regional climate technology center for Central Asia, established at Turkmenistan's initiative, will soon begin operations in Ashgabat. He stated that the Aral Sea problem cannot be considered in isolation from desertification, glacier melting, and transboundary water resource management, and that environmental security issues must be addressed in conjunction with the region's social and economic development.

In conclusion, the Turkmen side proposed, together with the countries of Central Asia, to develop a new UN General Assembly resolution on cooperation with IFAS, taking into account current geopolitical and economic changes in the world.

The Aral Sea is a former endorheic salt lake on the border of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Since the 1960s, sea levels have been rapidly receding due to the diversion of water from its main feeder rivers, the Amu Darya and Syr Darya, for irrigation. In 1993, by decision of the heads of state of Central Asia, the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea was established with the goal of developing and financing environmental and scientific-practical projects and programs aimed at improving the ecological health of areas affected by the Aral Sea disaster and addressing the region's socioeconomic problems. The founders of the fund are Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.