Today, the Turkmen capital hosted the fifth meeting of the Central Asian Expert Forum “Topical aspects of regional cooperation in climate change, water management and food security and information and communication technologies in the Central Asian region”.
The Research Centre for Strategic Studies of the Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan acted as moderator of the event with assistance of the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia.
The CAEF fifth meeting was held in the light of progressive development of further rapprochement of countries and deepening of regional cooperation in all aspects of interaction. The goal of the meeting was to discuss with leading experts of Central Asian countries topical issues of ensuring regional cooperation, development of common strategic approaches, practical proposals and recommendations for governments of regional states on agreed areas.
In the regular meeting heads and exerts of Institutes of Strategic Studies of Central Asian countries, heads and representatives of diplomatic missions, UNRCCA, teaching staff and students of the IIR of the MFA, representatives of mass media took part.
The program of the forum included three sessions – “Cooperation in climate change in Central Asia in the light of decisions of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), water cooperation in the Aral sea basin”, “Issues of ensuring food security in the Central Asian region”, “The problem of ensuring security in information and communication technologies”.
The speakers underlined that the constructive initiatives, which were put forward by Turkmenistan in various high level forums, received broad support from the international community.
In particular, it includes proposals on the opening of the regional centre for technologies connected with climate change for Central Asia in Ashgabat, development of water strategy of the United Nations, the special Program of the United Nations for the Aral sea basin and identification of the Aral problem as a separate area of activity of the United Nations, preservation of ecological safety of the Caspian sea and others.
In this context positive experience of cooperation of our state with the countries of the region which consider the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS) as a universal platform for interaction in realisation of ecological and scientific and technical projects and the programs directed to ecological improvement of areas, subjected to influence of the Aral catastrophe was marked.
During the meeting the measures undertaken in the countries of Central Asia for mitigation of consequences of climate change, and possibility of attraction of funds of international financial institutions for this purpose, in particular, UN Green Climate Fund (GCF) were discussed.
Importance of analysis of developing realities, definitions of priority directions of mutually advantageous cooperation on the basis of careful and critical study of key processes of regional development and tendencies of interstate relations, achievements of concrete results, capable to make the CA region more safe, stable and prospering was marked.
Focusing attention on necessities of active advancement of innovations in agricultural food systems, it was underlined that "smart" agriculture becomes today the most important segment of agricultural branch as application of smart technologies promotes increase of productivity and reduction of expenses of industrial costs.
Speaking about complex approaches to protection of cyberspace, information security at national and regional levels, participants noted that now all countries of the region adopted and realise their strategic and conceptual documents directed to development of digital society, and counteraction of cyber threats.
At the end of the meeting, participants expressed sincere gratitude to President Serdar Berdymuhamedov for support in conduction of the high-level forum, with satisfaction having noted that it will give an important impulse to the further development of cooperation of the countries of Central Asia in the decision of topical regional issues.
