"Since 2024, the chairmanship of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea has passed to the Republic of Kazakhstan. Our country will lead the organization for the next three years. Head of State Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has been elected President of IFAS until the end of 2026."

The International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea, which includes Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, implements joint interstate environmental and scientific-practical programs and projects aimed at saving the Aral Sea and improving the environmental situation in the region, as well as solving common socio-environmental problems.

"We aim to deepen cooperation with both the Central Asian states and other international organizations and financial institutions. This year we plan to start the second phase of the project on the conservation of the Northern Aral Sea, implemented together with the World Bank. Saving the Aral Sea is a task that can be accomplished only through the joint efforts of all IFAS founding states. In the next three years, we intend to achieve significant results in this direction," Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nurzhan Nurzhigitov said.