Speaking during the High Level International Conference on the International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable Development” 2018-2028, President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov underlined the importance to achieve the reasonable balance between the economic affairs and preservation of water resources and their efficient management. “Global warming and the emergence of various natural and technology-related cataclysms are among the inevitable phenomena that the world encounters and will face with, the reaction to them should not be spontaneous, dictated only by short-term, narrow-national needs”, the Turkmen leader said. “Today, we need systemic mechanisms for international cooperation with the aim to minimize the risks. We need clearly defined rules, a kind of code of conduct that would be based on the interests of all states and would be conditioned, first of all, by the needs of people, their habitual way of life that has developed over the centuries”, continued President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov. “Water is the common property of all mankind that belongs to all the peoples on the planet”, said the Turkmen leader, calling for the development of the efficient formats for international cooperation on water. “Due to a number of historical, natural and geographical features, such formats are becoming particularly relevant for Central Asia. The development of the states in our region, their economy and social sphere, the level of prosperity and the quality of life of people directly depend on the access to water resources and their efficient management”. “Therefore, equal rights, respect, responsibility should stand as the fundamental, determining criteria for the relations between the countries in Central Asia on water use”, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said. “Consistently supporting these positions, Turkmenistan has always stated that water issues in our region should be resolved: first of all, based on the generally recognized norms of international law; secondly, taking into account the interests of each of the Central Asian states; thirdly, with the active participation of international organizations, primarily the UN. “This is our principled position, and, relying on it, we will continue working on the establishment of effective negotiating mechanisms between the Central Asian countries with the aim to develop the coordinated solutions”, the Turkmen leader said. Noting that one of the most effective steps in this direction could be the establishment of a specialized UN structure on water affairs for Central Asia, the Turkmen leader expressed the belief that the international experience accumulated by the international community on water and water and energy problems can be efficiently used. In this regard, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov suggested the states in the region and UN Secretariat to consider the possibility of establishing a UN structure on water affairs for Central Asia.