President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov, at a meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS), spoke in favor of modernizing the Central Asian Water Strategy.

Speaking at the meeting, he noted that Turkmenistan, together with all countries of Central Asia, pays great attention to promoting «water diplomacy» in the region, and during its chairmanship in IFAS, Ashgabat initiated the development of the Central Asian Water Strategy.

«At the same time, we consider it appropriate to consolidate in this document the basic principles and rules of political and diplomatic interaction between our states on water issues, based on mutual respect, equal partnership and taking into account the interests of all countries in the region», -the head of state said.

In his opinion, the Central Asian Water Strategy in the future could become the basis for the development of the UN Global Water Strategy.

«We also propose to consider the issue of modernizing the Regional Action Plan for Environmental Protection of Central Asia, adopted within the framework of the Interstate Commission on Sustainable Development of IFAS, in order to include the main provisions of this Plan as an environmental component in the new Action Program to assist the countries of the Aral Sea basin», -emphasized the President of Turkmenistan.