Uzbekistan calls for enhanced climate cooperation across Central Asia
On May 12, 2026, the 29th Eurasian Economic Summit kicked off in Istanbul. The event, organized by the Marmara Group Strategic and Social Research Foundation, will run for two days.
This year’s summit agenda focuses on global responsibility, climate challenges, the sustainable management of water resources, and the transformation of international relations amid the evolving world order.
The forum has brought together representatives from around 30 countries across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. The discussions are attended by incumbent and former heads of state, leaders of international organizations, and members of the expert and business communities.
Among the distinguished guests are former presidents and prime ministers from Türkiye, Croatia, Montenegro, Slovenia, Serbia, Albania, the Czech Republic, Romania, Poland, Moldova, North Macedonia, Lebanon, and several other countries.
The Republic of Uzbekistan is represented at the summit by a delegation led by Eldor Aripov, First Deputy Secretary of the Security Council of the Republic of Uzbekistan and Director of the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
During the official opening ceremony, messages from the President of the Republic of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev were read out. Mr. Aripov delivered the address of the President of Uzbekistan.
The address by the President of Uzbekistan focused on global environmental security and sustainable development. It was emphasized that amid escalating climate challenges across various regions of the world, the current summit is particularly relevant.
The impacts of climate change are particularly acute in Central Asia, where warming rates exceed the global average, land degradation is intensifying, and glacier coverage continues to shrink.
In this regard, it was emphasized that environmental sustainability is a key priority of the New Uzbekistan Development Strategy. The country is consistently advancing a large-scale green agenda.
Under the nationwide “Yashil Makon” project, about 200 million trees are planted annually, and large-scale protective forest plantations are being established on the dried bed of the Aral Sea.
At the same time, Uzbekistan is actively transitioning to a green development model. The country has already reduced harmful emissions by 35 percent, and aims to increase this figure to 50 percent by 2035. These efforts are complemented by comprehensive measures to improve water resource management and introduce water-saving technologies.
As part of this policy course, Uzbekistan reaffirmed its commitment to advancing the green agenda. In this context, summit participants were invited to attend the upcoming international events in Uzbekistan – the Global Environment Facility Assembly and the World Forum on Water Conservation.
In conclusion, Shavkat Mirziyoyev reaffirmed the country’s openness to broad-based cooperation and wished the delegates productive discussions and tangible results.
UzA
