Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev called on the countries of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) to strengthen ties in the fight against climate change and environmental protection.

“Our states are currently facing the dire consequences of these pressing problems. Processes such as melting glaciers, scarcity of water resources, desertification, dust storms, soil erosion and loss of biological diversity are of serious concern,” said President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev during a speech at the ECO Summit in Tashkent.

“I express my gratitude for the support of our idea of creating a high-level Platform on environmental issues within the Organization. We are ready to hold the first conference of the platform within the framework of the upcoming Samarkand Climate Forum in 2024,” he noted.

“We also call for the active participation of your representatives in the meeting of the Committee to Review the Implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, which will be held in our country this coming week. In order to combat dust and sand storms, which now pose an increasingly serious problem, we urge support for the Samarkand Declaration,” added the head of Uzbekistan.