ANKARA, April 6. /Dunyo IA/. The international forum held in Tashkent on the occasion of International Day of Forests has attracted widespread attention in the Turkish press, reports Dunyo IA correspondent.

Leading publications such as “Haberler”, “Sondakika”, and “Habername” highlighted Uzbekistan’s large-scale reforms under the leadership of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev aimed at combating desertification and creating new forested areas. These efforts are noted for their key role in mitigating the effects of climate change not only in Uzbekistan but across Central Asia.

Special attention was given to remarks by Ismail Belen, Chair of the UN Forum on Forests. The expert with 35 years of experience praised Uzbekistan’s achievements, emphasizing that despite challenging geographic conditions, the country has shown impressive results in forest management. According to Belen, Uzbekistan has set a truly ambitious goal: increasing forest cover from the current 10% to 12% in the near term and to 20% in the long term.

“Uzbekistan plans to plant 200 million seedlings annually. As an experienced forester, I believe in their success and consider these goals noble and achievable,” Turkish media quoted the UN representative. Forum participants agreed that Uzbekistan’s experience could serve as a platform for regional knowledge exchange to ensure a shared ecological future.