Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan Vladimir Norov called on the OSCE to take an active part in actions to mitigate the consequences of the ecological catastrophe in the Aral Sea.

Speaking at a meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan Vladimir Norov dwelled separately on regional issues.

The Minister noted that today a completely new atmosphere of mutual trust has been formed in the Central Asian region: many barriers have been removed, conditions have been created for the free movement of citizens, a favorable environment has been formed for the growth of mutual trade and investment, regional interconnectedness, security and sustainable socio-economic development.

At the Fourth Consultative Meeting of Heads of State in July this year in the Kyrgyz Republic, a truly historic Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighborliness and Cooperation for the Development of Central Asia in the 21st century was agreed upon.

As the head of the Uzbek delegation emphasized, environmental issues remain of particular relevance in Central Asia. The pace of climate change in our region is twice the global average.

In this context, Vladimir Norov called on the OSCE to take an active part in actions to mitigate the consequences of the ecological catastrophe of the Aral Sea and implement the demanded socio-economic projects and programs in the Aral Sea region.