Turkmenistan's president proposes a regional centre to combat desertification for Central Asia

Turkmenistan's President Serdar Berdimuhamedov addressed the leaders' summit of the UN Biodiversity Conference in Irevan on October 16. He proposed creating a regional centre to combat desertification for the countries of Central Asia.

The head of state stressed the importance of the issue and the need to make arid regions more resilient to climate change. He said the initiative supports international efforts to protect ecosystems, use natural resources sustainably and reach the Sustainable Development Goals.

Berdimuhamedov also said global environmental targets cannot be met without taking into account the interests and needs of developing countries, including landlocked states.