The delegation of Turkmenistan returned from Samarkand, where it took part in the Third Subregional Seminar on the Study of the Interdependence of the Cryosphere and Climate Change. Specialists from the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the State Water Management Committee and the National Commission for UNESCO represented the country's interests in developing measures to curb the melting of glaciers in mountainous regions, the “Neutral Turkmenistan” newspaper reports.

“The event was held as part of the implementation of a UNESCO project aimed at strengthening the adaptive capacity and partnership of five Central Asian countries to the impact of climate change on the cryosphere,” said Serdar Eyeberenov, head of the hydrometeorology department of the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan.

At the plenary session, the Executive Secretary of the National Commission of Turkmenistan for UNESCO Chinar Rustemova delivered a welcoming speech, emphasizing the importance of regional cooperation. The Turkmen side took an active part in the presentation of the national action plan and the development of proposals for pilot projects.

The participants of the seminar discussed measures to preserve glaciers, which are the main sources of water supply for the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers, vital for the entire Central Asian region. During the work, multi-country groups were formed to assess the effectiveness of the prepared strategies and rank their implementation.

The meeting is of particular importance in the context of the declaration of 2025 as the International Year of Glacier Conservation at the initiative of UNESCO and the International Meteorological Organization. Previous meetings on this project were held in Almaty and Ashgabat.