Central Asian Leaders to Attend IFAS Meeting in Astana

Leaders of Central Asian countries—namely Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan—will arrive in Astana on April 22 to participate in the meeting of the Council of Heads of the Founder States of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS). This was reported by the official press service of the Government of Kazakhstan.

The Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, Olzhas Bektenov, announced the date of the meeting of the Council of Heads of the Founder States of IFAS during a meeting held on Monday in Astana. The meeting was attended by the Deputy Prime Minister of Turkmenistan Tangryguly Atahallyyev, the Deputy Prime Minister of Tajikistan Sulaymon Ziyozoda, the Advisor to the President of Uzbekistan Shukhrat Ganiyev, the Minister of Water Resources of Uzbekistan Shavkat Khamraev, the Deputy Director of the Water Resources Service of Kyrgyzstan Almaz Zheenaliev, the Chairman of the Executive Committee of IFAS Askhat Orazbay, as well as heads of relevant agencies of Kazakhstan.

The parties discussed the prospects for regional cooperation in the water sector, issues of increasing the efficiency of the fund's activities, and preparations for the upcoming summit. During the meeting, special attention was paid to the digitalization of water accounting, and the participants agreed on the implementation of a unified automated system for monitoring and distributing water resources in the Syr Darya and Amu Darya river basins.

The meeting also addressed issues related to improving the organizational structure and legal framework of IFAS with the aim of enhancing coordination among the fund's institutions and ensuring more effective implementation of adopted decisions.

IFAS brings together Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan, implementing joint environmental, scientific, and practical programs to restore the Aral Sea and improve the ecological situation in its region. Kazakhstan is chairing the fund for the period of 2024–2026.