At the opening ceremony of the 7th Central Asian Climate Change Conference (CACCC-2025) in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan’s Minister of Environmental Protection Charygeldy Babaniyazov made a speech. He expressed the country’s strong national commitment to the climate agenda and the country’s position on uniting the efforts of Central Asian states to combat environmental threats. The Minister noted that under the leadership of the President of Turkmenistan, environmental protection and ecological well-being have become one of the priorities of the state policy. Concrete steps at the national level – the adoption of a new version of the National Climate Change Strategy in 2019, the approval of the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement in 2022, as well as Turkmenistan’s accession to the Global Methane Commitment in 2023 – are evidence of the country’s serious approach to these issues. Stressing the importance of regional cooperation, Charygeldy Babaniyazov focused on a number of challenges facing Central Asian countries and measures to overcome them. In particular, he: • The Aral Sea issue: The Minister said that it is impossible to restore the sea to its previous state and stressed the need to reduce and adapt to the consequences of desertification and the spread of salt dust in vulnerable areas of the region. He cited as an example of Turkmenistan's national efforts the creation of a vast forest zone of 20 thousand hectares on the Butendag plateau in the north of the country using endemic plants, as well as forest zones in Dashoguz and Lebap provinces (10 thousand hectares each). • Efficient use of water resources: Given the decreasing water supply due to climate change, the need for efficient use of water was emphasized to prevent secondary salinization of soils. • Desertification and dust storms: It was noted that desertification is accelerating due to the loss of vegetation cover and the increase in dust storms, which have a negative impact on health and ecosystems. The need for comprehensive scientific measures to combat this phenomenon and prevent the loss of fertile soil layers was highlighted. • Melting glaciers: Although Turkmenistan does not have glaciers, the Minister expressed positive views on initiatives to protect them in the mountains of Central Asia, since the rivers originating from here (such as the Amu Darya) are the main source of water for the country. The Minister emphasized that all these problems - the Aral Sea, water resources, desertification, melting glaciers - are common to the countries of the region due to the interconnectedness of natural components. Therefore, in his opinion, their solution requires efforts not only at the national level, but primarily at the regional level. In conclusion, Charygeldi Babaniyazov expressed his hope that the “CACIC-2025” conference would make a significant contribution to the consolidation of efforts and exchange of experience in solving these urgent problems. The Minister noted that if the Central Asian states unite their views, initiatives, efforts and forces, the goal of this conference would be achieved.