Presidents of Central Asian countries support Kyrgyzstan’s idea to reform IFAS

Ashgabat, Aug. 25, 2018 / Kabar /. The Presidents of Central Asian countries supported the idea of ​​Kyrgyzstan on the need to reform the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea, Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Erlan Abdyldaev told journalists commenting on the results of the Summit of the Heads of States-Founders of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS), in which President Sooronbay Jeenbekov took part as an honored guest.

"Since 2009 we have been talking about the need to reform the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea. Today, all the colleagues of our president really supported, having realized the need to take a fresh look at this organization and to reform it deeply," said Abdyldaev.

"Therefore, the fact that we have frozen our participation, probably, also has pushed to such more resolute actions. I would also like to draw your attention to one detail that, based on the status of an honorary guest of our president, we did not take part in the preparation of the final documents. We paid attention to them, but we did not take part in their preparation and adoption," the Foreign Minister said.

Abdyldaev added that "we say, and our president says this openly: We are for the salvation of the Aral Sea, for this we need to reform the organization. If this reform goes, of course, we will resume our participation."

"A very powerful impetus for reforming this organization was given," Abdyldaev said.

Presidents of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev, Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev took part in the Summit of the Heads of State of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea.

It should be reminded that the President of Kyrgyzstan arrived in Turkmenistan on Aug. 23 for a state visit and held a bilateral meeting with Turkmen leader Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow in narrow and enlarged formats, 11 agreements were signed following the meeting. The main political document was the Declaration on Strategic Partnership between Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan.