The regional project “Ecologically Oriented Regional Development in the Aral Sea Region” (ECO-ARAL) in close partnership with the State Committee for Forestry of Uzbekistan supported a visit of the delegation led by Ms. Shalabekova Aliya Lazarevna, Vice-minister of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan, to Uzbekistan between June 09-12, 2021.
On the first day of the visit, the delegation was welcomed by Mr. Bakirov Nizamiddin Jalilovich, the Chairman of the State Committee for Forestry, and the representatives of Minister of Emergency Situations and the State Committee for Ecology and Environment of Uzbekistan. Following that, the guests visited the Forestry Research Institute where the participants discussed the issues of cooperation between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan in improving the ecological situation through afforestation on the dried bottom of the Aral Sea with joint efforts.
The following day, the delegation went to the dried bottom of the Aral Sea covering the territory of 120, 76, 66, 50 km which is in difficult soil conditions such as saline, degraded and sandy soils. The delegation saw the states of the forest works created there by planting and spraying the seeds by planes on the territory. As well as these, the delegation witnessed the large-scale development work in the city of Muynak.
On the last day of the visit, the delegation participants visited the nurseries of Nukus city and Khojaly district state forestry departments and were introduced to new seedling varieties. The Kazakh guests then went to the Aral Sea International Innovation Center under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The Innovation Centre specialists introduced the delegation members with the innovative projects being implemented by the center in the Aral Sea Region.