The last IFAS summit was held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, in 2002. Following the results of it, the heads of states adopted “Main Directions of the Program of Specific Actions to Improve Ecological and Social-Economic Situation in the Aral Sea Basin During 2003-2010”. An agreement on holding the IFAS summit in Kazakhstan was reached at the meeting of the presidents in Bishkek on 10 October 2008.

At the summit the “water relations” among the region’s countries, the Fund’s activity and the issues of formation of a new composition of the charter bodies of the IFAS will be discussed. It is expected that the Central Asian leaders will sign a Joint Statement of the heads of states on the results of the summit.

On the proposal of the Turkmen side, UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative and the Head of the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy in Central Asia (UNRCCA) Miroslav Jenca was invited to the summit. On behalf of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon he will speak to the participants.

Holding this summit shows importance of the Aral Sea problem for every state of the region, Kazinform reported.