Kazakhstan to assume Int’l Fund for Saving the Aral Sea chairmanship in 2024

Kazakh Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Nurzhan Akzhigitov met with Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Switzerland Salman Bal and representatives of the Blue Peace Central Asia (BPCA) initiative of the Swiss Agency on the Development and Cooperation, Kazinform Agency learnt from the ministry’s press service.

The minister said Kazakhstan will assume the chairmanship over the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS) next January 1 as the country aims at deepening partnership not only with Central Asian nations but also with other international organizations and financial institutions. He added Kazakhstan plans to develop the Kazakh President’s initiatives suggesting the foundation of an international water and energy consortium to respect the interests of all Central Asian countries.

The ambassador announced the first phase of the BPCA is close to completion that’s why the representatives of the Blue Peace Central Asia (BPCA) initiative arrived in Central Asia to find out directions for the second phase. Besides, Uzbekistan launched the hydrological forecasting program with the participation of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The program lets gauge water flows and flow quantity between Central Asian states.

The representatives of the Blue Peace Central Asia (BPCA) initiative said the project embraces several directions, for example, strengthening the regional water resource management institutes within the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS) and CAWEP, attracting experts, exchanging practice, modernization and reconstruction of transborder waterworks.

The Kazakh minister said next year will start the second phase of the Small Aral Sea saving project co-developed with the World Bank.