Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov said Wednesday in Astana, at a meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the founding countries of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea, that Turkmenistan proposes considering the development of a new U.N. General Assembly resolution on cooperation between the fund and the United Nations.

According to Turkmenistan’s official media, the initiative aims to elevate cooperation between the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea and international structures, primarily U.N. specialized agencies and bodies, to a new level.

The President said the new resolution should take into account ongoing geopolitical and economic changes worldwide.

Berdimuhamedov noted that the current summit is being held amid a complex global geopolitical environment and stressed that the key objective is to ensure that issues of vital importance to Central Asian countries and their peoples are not pushed to the background.

Saving the Aral Sea, its future, and the fate of people living in coastal areas are a political and moral responsibility of Turkmenistan. At the same time, it is a shared duty involving the mobilization and use of diplomatic efforts by states and international partners, as well as economic, financial and organizational resources to address pressing environmental, social and humanitarian challenges, the president said.

Berdimuhamedov also noted that, as a logical continuation of international efforts to address regional environmental issues, Turkmenistan has proposed establishing a Regional Center for Climate Change Technologies in Central Asia under U.N. auspices. The center is expected to begin operations in Ashgabat in the near future, with the government providing full support for its activities.