President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev stated the need for a complete ban on the use of military weapons in the Caspian Sea. In his speech at the Regional Environmental Summit in Astana, he emphasized the importance of protecting the Caspian ecosystem to maintain ecological balance and regional stability, Kursiv.media reports.
The head of state noted that the Caspian Sea is under threat, and its protection is extremely important. Kazakhstan has already proposed the creation of an interstate program to prevent further deterioration of the sea and has opened the Caspian Sea Research Institute to develop scientific cooperation in the region.
“We call on all international partners to support our efforts to preserve this unique natural asset. Therefore, any use of military weapons in the Caspian region must be excluded and prohibited,” Tokayev is quoted as saying “Fergana”.
Also in his speech, the President touched upon the topic of global water cooperation. He recalled that in December 2025, a project was proposed in Ashgabat to create an International Water Organization, which could become a UN agency.
According to him, this initiative is especially relevant in light of the fact that the UN is currently reviewing many of its mandates, which opens up the opportunity to strengthen international water management. The first round of consultations on this issue will take place within the framework of the summit, which started on April 22 in Astana.
Russia has used the Caspian Sea since 2015 to strike militants of the Islamic State terrorist group operating in Syria. Since the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine, the Russian army has also repeatedly fired at the territory of Ukraine from the Caspian Sea, using ships with cruise missiles.
In response, Ukraine used long-range drones to attack Russian ships and military installations, as well as oil field infrastructure in the Caspian Sea region.
