BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 9. Kazakhstan
supports Azerbaijan’s proposal to establish an intergovernmental
commission on Caspian Sea shallowing at the level of deputy prime
ministers, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said.
This was reflected in a press release issued today by the press
office of the Kazakh president.
Speaking at the first Caspian Environmental Summit in
Turkmenistan, Tokayev said that although an international legal and
institutional framework for Caspian cooperation was already in
place, existing measures were insufficient to address the sea’s
declining water levels.
He noted the importance of the Tehran Convention, which marks
the 20th anniversary of its entry into force this year, and
highlighted the contribution of the United Nations Environment
Programme to environmental protection efforts.
Tokayev also said that the Caspian littoral states had approved
Kazakhstan’s proposal to develop an interstate program for
preserving the Caspian Sea’s water resources.
“It is time to move toward coordinated action to mitigate the
effects of the Caspian Sea’s shallowing and help our economies and
ecosystems adapt to the ongoing changes,” Tokayev said.
He also cited Kazakhstan’s environmental restoration efforts as
examples that could be applied to the Caspian Sea. According to
him, the area of the North Aral Sea has increased by 36%, improving
water quality, restoring fish stocks and gradually reviving
economic activity in surrounding areas.
Tokayev added that Kazakhstan had restored saiga populations,
supported snow leopard populations and was returning rare animal
species to their natural habitats.
He also noted that Kazakhstan was implementing a special program
to restore the Turan tiger, thanking Russia and President Vladimir
Putin for providing several Amur tigers that are now adapting to
conditions in Kazakhstan.
