Aral Sea Bank's restoration projects, especially in the North Aral, were giving rise to some unexpected, tentative relief in what had been an extremely pessimistic picture. The future of the Aral Sea and the responsibility for its survival are now in the hands of the five countries: Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan. In 1994, they adopted the Aral Sea Basin Programmme. The Programme's four objectives are: The first phase of the plan effectively began with the first involvement from the World Bank in 1992, and was in operation until 1997. It was ineffectual for a number of reasons, but mainly because
Kazakhstan–Uzbekistan relations Kazakhstan–Uzbekistan relations Kazakhstan–Uzbekistan relations refers to the relations between the neighbouring Republic of Kazakhstan and Republic of Uzbekistan. The last President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov has visited Kazakhstan several times. Both Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan were part of the Soviet Union before its official dissolution in 1991. At the start of the 21st century, 96% of the international border between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan had been determined. In 2001, after mutual agreements, the border line in only three disputed areas (Bagys, Arnasai and Nsan) remained undrawn. By September 2002, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan had fully resolved the course of their 2,440 km-long shared