The 'Caspian Five' at the Sixth Caspian Summit in Ashgabad addressed a number of issues related to the economic development in the region. One of the agenda topics was ecological preservation of the sea.
During his speech at the event, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev named the preservation of the Caspian ecosystem as one of the key areas of cooperation, QazMonitor reports citing Akorda press service.
"Active exploitation of subsoil resources and transportation of resources carry great risks for the ecology of the region. In addition, the challenges of global warming and climate change pose a threat to water resources. An extremely sad example is the critical condition of the Ural River, the third-longest in Europe, which, in Kazakhstan, is called Zhaiyk. There is a sharp decline in water flow, reduction of bioresources, degradation of floodplain vegetation and anthropogenic pollution.
As a result, the average annual flow of the river in recent years has decreased threefold. This has a detrimental effect on the state of the floodplain spawning grounds and the reproduction of the unique fish of the Caspian Sea. Together with the Russian Federation, we are making great efforts to prevent an ecological disaster in shared rivers," said the leader of Kazakhstan.
Thanking the Russian President for his support in this issue, the Head of State called on the parties to combine their efforts and work out a common action plan to improve the condition of the Ural River. Speaking of environmental problems of the common sea, the President also touched upon the difficult circumstance of the Caspian seals.
Instances of their periodic deaths are cause for serious concern. The Caspian seal is endemic and the only representative of mammals in the fauna of the Caspian Sea. It migrates across the body of water and is considered a transboundary bioresource. Last year, Kazakhstan and Russia signed a five-year Joint Action Plan for the conservation of the Caspian seal population. In addition, since 1974, there have been protected areas of Kazakhstan and Russia in the northern part of the Caspian Sea. However, the measures taken are still not enough to preserve the red-listed animal. That is why we are now considering the issue of reformatting the reserve zone into a specially protected natural area. We call on the Caspian countries to support the initiative of Kazakhstan and Russia and join it.
The Head of State also drew the attention of the summit participants to the importance of combatting the illegal harvest of biological resources in the Caspian Sea. He pointed out the facts of illegal fishing, smuggling of fish products, illegal purchase or sale of sturgeon.
"It is important to remember that during the development of the Caspian Sea and coastal areas there are high risks of man-made accidents and natural disasters. Therefore, it is necessary to systematically develop a regional mechanism for prevention and elimination of consequences and mutual assistance in case of emergencies," stressed the President of Kazakhstan.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev noted the need for closer cultural and humanitarian cooperation and the formation of a consortium of analytical structures of the "Caspian Five". The Kazakh president also supported Vladimir Putin's proposal to hold annual meetings of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Caspian states.
Earlier, QazMonitor reported on the President's proposal on improving economic cooperation in the Caspian Sea region.
