During a meeting, the Turkmen Cabinet of Ministers discussed the preparation of the relevant proposals for the upcoming meeting of the special working group on the Caspian Sea in Baku on March 4-5, Turkmenistan TV channel reported Feb. 15.
“One of the main vectors of Turkmenistan’s foreign policy strategy is the development of friendly relations with neighboring countries,” the statement says. “In this aspect, much attention is paid to strengthening of the fruitful cooperation with the Caspian countries.”
It is also reported that Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov made a number of specific instructions to advance the proposals of Turkmenistan, in particular, concerning the cooperation of the Caspian countries in trade-economic and transport sectors.
President Berdimuhamedov emphasized that the Caspian Sea is a unique natural reservoir.
Turkmenistan will continue taking consistent actions to maintain its ecological condition, biodiversity, to rationally use rich resources of ancient Khazar and to strengthen its status as a sea of peace, friendship, good neighborliness and fruitful partnership.
The Caspian Sea washes the coastline of Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Iran and Turkmenistan.
The Caspian Sea is the world’s largest inland water reservoir not linked with any world ocean. It is unique for preserving various relict flora and fauna, including the world’s largest shoal of sturgeon.
The experts say that there are a number of prerequisites for possible pollution of the Caspian Sea.
Among those are the development of hydrocarbon reserves in the sea and the surrounding areas, the high density of population and industry in the adjacent areas, intensive agricultural development in the valleys which have rivers flowing into them, the lack of a river to sea explicit geochemical barrier and a closed basin.
