Kazakh President Qasym-Jomart Toqaev has called on countries to join forces to save the Caspian Sea, proposing joint environmental projects, the restoration of river flows and the completion of a permanent Secretariat for the Tehran Convention, infohub.kz reports.
According to the head of state, these projects should cover both the sea itself and the river basins that feed the Caspian. "We need to restore water flows, river deltas and wetlands, and bring hydraulic structures into proper condition. Grants, concessional lending and other channels of climate financing can and should support this work," the Kazakh president said.
The president also stressed the need to complete the establishment of a permanent Secretariat of the Tehran Convention. "We need an effective mechanism capable of ensuring continuity of decisions, coordination of activities and monitoring of the implementation of all agreements reached at the highest level. Kazakhstan will continue its work to create an International Water Organization under the auspices of the UN, because our common task is to improve the efficiency of global water resources management while giving priority to the ecological state of the Caspian. Water security must take its rightful place on the international agenda alongside food, energy and climate security," Qasym-Jomart Toqaev said.
As the president emphasized, the Caspian is a single ecosystem that does not recognize state borders, so common success is impossible without coordinated action in international organizations and financial markets. "Everything necessary for fruitful work is in place — political dialogue, an international legal framework, specialized institutions and significant scientific potential. I hope that through joint efforts we will preserve the Caspian Sea — a source of life, prosperity and a common future for our peoples," the head of state concluded.