Kazakhstan supports Azerbaijan’s initiative to prevent Caspian Sea shallowing Statement by Kazakh FM

Kazakh Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu has said that Kazakhstan supports Azerbaijan’s initiative aimed at preventing the shallowing of the Caspian Sea.

Nurtleu made these remarks during a meeting of the foreign ministers of the Caspian littoral countries in Moscow, Trend reports.

“The Caspian Sea is a unique reservoir and its condition has a direct impact on nature and life in coastal countries. Therefore, our common task is to ensure its environmental safety,” he said.

The minister added that this problem concerns all regional countries without exception and requires coordinated, timely and effective actions.

“Kazakhstan will establish a research institute for the study of the Caspian Sea by the end of this year upon Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s initiative. Its activity, first of all, will be aimed at studying the problems of shallowing the Caspian Sea. We also fully support Azerbaijan’s initiative to establish a five-party working group on shallowing the Caspian Sea by involving the relevant specialists and scholars,” he said.

Nurtleu also noted the importance of the initiative of the Turkmen president, voiced at the 78th session of the UN General Assembly, to involve UN institutions in the process of studying this problem.

The Kazakh foreign minister also stressed that the entry of the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea into force remains the main task.

“The entry of the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea, the so-called Aktau Convention, into force remains the main task. As is known, the condition for ratifying the Aktau Convention is the coordination in a five-party format of the methodology for establishing direct and baseline lines,” the minister said.

He noted that Kazakhstan’s side thinks that at this stage the high-level working group should concentrate its efforts on agreeing on this document, taking into account the interests of all sides.

“We urge the sides to show constructivism and find a balanced solution,” Nurtleu added.