Turkmenistan will host a meeting of foreign ministers of the five Caspian littoral states in 2024, the Russian Foreign Ministry reports.
This is stated in the final statement of the regular regional meeting, which was held in Moscow on 5 December this year.
The Caspian Sea washes the coasts of Azerbaijan, Iran, Russia, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.
The statement notes the need to finalise a number of draft five-party agreements: on military activities; in the field of marine scientific research; in the field of maritime transport; on combating illegal fishing of aquatic biological resources (poaching); on combating illegal trafficking of narcotic drugs and on maritime safety.
The parties also supported the initiative to set up a working group on the Caspian Sea shoaling.
Turkmenistan's Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov attended the meeting and called for the finalisation of procedures that will speed up the creation of energy infrastructure in the Caspian Sea.
"The construction of submarine energy infrastructure in the Caspian Sea meets the economic needs of coastal states and serves as an important condition for ensuring energy security and sustainability in Eurasia on the basis of equal consideration of the interests and benefits of energy producers, transitors and consumers," the diplomat said, quoted by TASS.
The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water not connected to the world's oceans. It is unique in that it preserves a variety of relict species of flora and fauna, including the world's largest herd of sturgeon fish.
Local experts told Daryo that there are a number of preconditions for possible pollution of the Caspian Sea.
Among them are the development of hydrocarbon reserves in the sea and neighbouring territories, high population and industrial density in neighbouring territories, and intensive agricultural development of land in the valleys of flowing rivers.
Eziz Boyarov
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