BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 17. Turkmen President
Serdar Berdimuhamedov has stressed the need for stronger regional
cooperation to protect biodiversity, preserve transboundary
ecosystems and combat land degradation.


This was reflected in a press release published by the press
service of the Turkmen government following his participation in
the leaders’ summit held within the framework of the 17th
Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological
Diversity (COP17) in Armenia yesterday.


According to the report, Berdimuhamedov highlighted the links
between biodiversity loss, climate change, desertification and land
degradation.


“Turkmenistan consistently supports the goals and principles of
the UN Convention on Biological Diversity and the Kunming-Montreal
Global Biodiversity Framework. We recognize that biodiversity loss,
climate change, desertification and land degradation are
interconnected challenges that directly affect countries’
environmental security and sustainable development,” Berdimuhamedov
said.


He identified the protection of transboundary ecosystems, animal
migration routes and natural resources as priorities for regional
cooperation. Particular attention, he said, should be paid to the
environmental well-being of the Caspian Sea, the ecosystems of the
Aral Sea basin and efforts to combat desertification.







Berdymuhamedov also outlined national measures to improve
protected areas, strengthen environmental monitoring and conserve
rare plant and animal species. These efforts are guided by
Turkmenistan’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for
2026-2035, he noted.


The president called for greater access for developing countries
to environmental financing, modern technologies and
capacity-building support. He also emphasized the importance of
fair benefit-sharing from genetic resources and digital sequence
information.


Turkmenistan will continue promoting environmental and climate
initiatives at the 81st session of the UN General Assembly,
Berdimuhamedov said. These include the Ashgabat Climate Dialogue,
envisaged as a multilateral platform for regular political and
expert-level exchanges, and a regional center to combat
desertification in Central Asia.


To note, the proposal for the regional center was previously
advanced by Turkmenistan at the 80th session of the UN General
Assembly in 2025.