On August 12, a scientific and practical conference entitled “Protection of the Caspian Sea Ecosystem: Regional Cooperation and Sustainable Development” was held at the Avaza national tourism zone to mark Caspian Sea Day, TDH reports.

The forum, held at the Berkarar Hotel, was attended by members of the government, heads of several ministries and agencies, specialists from scientific institutions and representatives of diplomatic missions, accredited in Turkmenistan and international and regional organizations.

At the opening ceremony, the Welcoming Address of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov to the participants was read out. In it, the head of state emphasized Turkmenistan’s active cooperation with international organizations and states in the Caspian region in such important areas as protecting the marine ecosystem and preserving this unique natural heritage for future generations.

As conference participants noted, close attention is being paid to the rational use of natural resources, the introduction of environmentally friendly technologies and a green economy, the ensuring of environmental security in the country and the region and the protection of biodiversity. Initiatives, aimed at developing trade and economic ties in the Caspian region, are being successfully implemented. All of these initiatives are aimed at transforming the Caspian Sea into a zone of peace, trust and environmental wellbeing and are receiving broad support from the Caspian littoral states and major international organizations.

The conference also provided an overview of the work accomplished over the past 20 years under the Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea. This document serves as a foundation for interstate cooperation in such important areas as preventing pollution during the exploration, production and transportation of hydrocarbon resources, monitoring the state of the marine environment, conducting joint scientific research and assessing environmental impacts.

Emphasizing the need for an integrated approach to implementing the objectives of the Tehran Convention, speakers underscored the importance of consolidating efforts to address these tasks and further expanding interaction among relevant agencies and specialists. In this context, proposals were made to strengthen regional scientific systems, to expand information exchange and to establish a Caspian scientific partnership that would unite research institutes across the region. The importance of introducing innovations, modern technologies and new control and monitoring methods and of using modern solutions such as artificial intelligence and information platforms was also stressed.

Following the conference, its participants adopted an Address to the President of Turkmenistan, expressing gratitude for the important initiatives to develop trade, economic and socio-cultural ties in the Caspian region and to transform the Caspian Sea into a zone of peace, trust and environmental wellbeing and for the effective measures to intensify cooperation among the Caspian littoral states.