On April 22, a meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the founding members of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS) was held in Astana. For Turkmenistan, this forum served as a platform to reaffirm its active role in addressing one of the greatest environmental catastrophes of the modern era.

In his address at the IFAS summit, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov characterized the Aral Sea issue as a "matter of honor, as well as of political and moral responsibility" for the region's leaders. Turkmenistan’s position is unequivocal: the vital challenges facing the Aral Sea basin must not be relegated to the background in the face of global changes. On the contrary, the region requires the mobilization of all resources—from financial to diplomatic.

The President recalled that the foundation for current cooperation was, to a large extent, laid during Turkmenistan’s chairmanship of the IFAS (2017–2019). It was during this period that Ashgabat elevated the Aral Sea issue to the level of the UN General Assembly, initiating historic resolutions on cooperation between organizations.

Today, these efforts are taking on new forms:

The UN Special Programme for the Aral Sea Basin (UN SPAS): An idea first voiced by Turkmenistan at the "Rio+20" summit, it has evolved into an ESCAP resolution and is now becoming a practical instrument.

Regional Center for Climate Technologies: The President announced that this innovative hub, operating under the auspices of the UN, will soon commence operations in Ashgabat, serving as an intellectual center for environmental monitoring for the entire Central Asian region.

Serdar Berdimuhamedov emphasized that the Aral Sea cannot be saved in isolation; the plight of the sea is inextricably linked to glacial melting, desertification, and the management of transboundary rivers.

The Head of Turkmenistan urged that environmental security be viewed as the bedrock of social and economic well-being for the entire region. "Good neighborliness is the defining factor of prosperity"—this principle served as the central theme of Serdar Berdimukhamedov's address.

Turkmenistan put forward a concrete proposal: to accelerate the modernization of the Fund's treaty and legal framework. This is essential to ensure that the IFAS becomes more "flexible" and appealing to international financial institutions and donors.

As a next step, Serdar Berdimuhamedov proposed that the countries of the region jointly draft a new UN General Assembly Resolution. This resolution should reflect contemporary realities and solidify the IFAS's status as a key international player.

The summit concluded with the signing of a package of documents, most notably the Astana Declaration and a decision designating March 26 as the International Day of the Aral Sea and the Amu Darya and Syr Darya Rivers. This decision symbolizes a shift toward a new paradigm in which shared water resources are recognized as a supreme value.

In concluding his address, Serdar Berdimuhamedov congratulated President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, on assuming the chairmanship of the IFAS.