Caspian littoral countries to resolve sea-related problem

/By AzerNews/

By Nigar Orujova

The Caspian-littoral countries will work together on the problem of reducing the Caspian Sea level, said Khosro Saraei, the director general of Transit and Tariffs Office at the Iranian Ports and Maritime Organization.

Port managers from Azerbaijan, Iran, Russia, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan attended the seventh conference of the Caspian Sea ports' directors in Amirabad, Iran's largest port in the Caspian Sea, on November 16-17.

During the meeting, the participants discussed a broad range of issues related to maritime transport, maritime engineering cooperation, ports and infrastructure, maritime security, the Caspian Sea related education, etc.

The relevant decision was taken at a meeting of the heads of administrations of the ports of the Caspian-littoral countries, which was held in the Iranian port of Amirabad.

Saraei said that one of the agreed important issues is the problem of reducing the level of the Caspian Sea.

“It was agreed to consider the ways to resolve this problem that could hamper navigation,” he said.

The director general said that the environmental protection and the prevention of pollution by various ships were discussed during the meeting.

“The five Caspian-littoral countries agreed on rendering the medical services to sailors of other countries in their ports,” he said.

Earlier at the event, Jalil Eslami, Deputy for Ports and Special Zones of Iran's Ports and Maritime Organization, said there is immense potential for the Caspian Sea's littoral states to have better cooperation among themselves.

“The Caspian region entails a huge potential and the littoral states should exploit it perfectly,” said Eslami.

The Caspian littoral states should promote marine education, hold joint reconnaissance and rescue maneuvers, and preserve the environment, the PMO deputy said.

The Caspian Sea with its rich natural resources is also home to about 141 other fish species. However, this natural wonder is struggling with different problems including pollution.

Five coastal states, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkmenistan and Iran, signed a framework convention on the protection of the marine environment of the Caspian Sea in November 2003.