The Declaration of Environment Ministers of OTS countries signed

During the second meeting of ministers of the member states of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) responsible for environmental protection and ecology in Astana, Kazakhstan, the Declaration of Environment Ministers of the OTS countries was signed.

Representatives of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Türkiye, and Uzbekistan, the OTS Secretary General Kubanychbek Omuraliev, and OTS observers attended the meeting.

The ministers noted that OTS countries face common environmental challenges, including climate change, dwindling water resources, land degradation, the Caspian Sea’s declining water level, and the consequences of the Aral Sea’s drying up. Under these conditions, it is especially important to strengthen practical cooperation and coordinate actions.

“We must unite our efforts to ensure the well-being of our peoples and to preserve natural heritage for future generations. Of particular importance in this context is the ‘Green Vision of the Turkic World’, which reflects our shared commitment to sustainable development, green transformation, and adaptation to climate change”, said the Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan Yerlan Nyssanbayev in his opening remarks.

Key initiatives to green and restore ecosystems are underway in all OTS countries. For example, in Kazakhstan, under the head of state’s directive, work is underway to plant 2 billion trees by 2027. Since 2021, more than 1 billion 648 million saplings have been planted and sown in the country.

“The development of the National Climate Change Adaptation Plan and a roadmap for implementing the Strategy for Achieving Carbon Neutrality by 2060, which brings together the efforts of all sectors of the economy to transition to low-carbon development, is currently underway. We believe that the exchange of experience among OTS member states can make an important contribution to preparations for the 31st Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31), which will be held in Türkiye in 2026”, the minister emphasized.

Roman Bondarchuk, UzA

Astana, Kazakhstan