World Bank Discusses Aral Sea Recovery Cooperation in Ashgabat
The World Bank delegation discussed with the Foreign Ministry of Turkmenistan ways to strengthen cooperation to save the Aral Sea, the website of the foreign ministry of Turkmenistan reports.
The question of World Bank assistance to the work of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS), which is currently chaired by Turkmenistan, was considered.
Speaking at the Summit of Heads of State Founders of IFAS in August 2018, President Berdimuhamedov noted the need to create a code of conduct for the Aral basin countries that would regulate the mechanisms of international cooperation aimed at restoring the Aral Sea.
Official Ashgabat is actively implementing a program for the formation of forest belts that impede the spread of salts from the dried sea and help improve the ecological situation in the region.
Enhancing cooperation of Turkmenistan with the World Bank in the matter of restoring the Aral Sea can facilitate the emergence of new environmental projects that will speed up the work of restoring and eliminating the consequences of the drying up of the Aral Sea.
The Aral Sea has played an important role in the livelihood of the region. Until the mid-80s, the population of coastal villages was engaged in fishing, worked at fish processing plants, but after the situation worsened, thousands of people left the region.
The World Bank is implementing programs to support the recovery of the Aral Sea. For example, the CAMP4ASB Adaptation and Mitigation Program for Climate Change in the Aral Sea Basin, which was launched in 2015.
