The 3rd Caspian Economic Forum opened in Tehran 17 February, bringing together delegations from the five Caspian states of Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan. The key topics of discussion were the development of transport cooperation, ecology, healthcare, tourism, transit transportation, trade relations and cooperation in the banking sector.
At the fourth thematic session “Environmental, health and tourism cooperation of the Caspian countries”, the Vice Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Zh.Sh. Aliyev, made a report.
In his speech, in particular, he noted that strong and fruitful cooperation has been established between the countries of the Caspian region in the field of environmental protection, where one of the important environmental issues on the agenda is preventing the shallowing of the Caspian Sea.
“However, in recent years we have seen that the effects of climate change are becoming increasingly evident in our region, creating serious problems for the environment, economy and welfare of society. Addressing these challenges requires close cooperation of all countries sharing the shores of the Caspian Sea,” the Vice Minister added.
At the same time, as is known, the level of the Caspian Sea is subject to significant long-term, interannual and seasonal fluctuations.
Thus, since 2006, the level of the Caspian Sea has tended to decrease and has now dropped by 1.9 meters.
Kazakhstan, within the framework of the 29th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29), supported the initiative of the Azerbaijani side to create a special working group to study the decline in the level of the Caspian Sea.
As part of this initiative, an environmental sensitivity map was developed last year in the protected area of the Kazakh sector of the Caspian Sea, which serves as an important tool for planning measures to prevent and eliminate oil spills, as well as for developing strategies for preserving biodiversity in the region.
It is also important to note that the Kazakh Research Institute of the Caspian Sea was created to study environmental problems of the Caspian Sea.
“In this regard, we are interested in strengthening scientific research cooperation of the Caspian region by creating a Caspian network of scientific research institutes. It is necessary to intensify the interaction of our scientists,” Zhomart Shiyapovich said in conclusion. He also expressed gratitude to the Iranian side for organizing, hosting and warmly welcoming today’s event.
https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/ecogeo/press/news/details/939830?lang=ru
