TEHRAN - Former vice president Masumeh Ebtekar said here on Wednesday that Iran played a leading role in protecting the environment of the Caspian Sea by initiating the Tehran Convention.

“Protecting the environment of the Caspian Sea has become one of the most important challenges in the region which requires special attention,” she said at a workshop on the challenges and achievements of the Tehran Convention.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has played a key role in protecting the environment of the Caspian Sea by holding the Tehran Convention over the recent years,” the head of the non-governmental center of peace and environment added.

She also praised the efforts of the Foreign Ministry, Iran’s Fisheries Organization, and those who try to promote the condition of the environment of the Caspian Sea.

In November 2003, the five Caspian states, in an unprecedented action, signed the Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea (further Tehran Convention). This document, eight years in the making, reflects efforts by the governments of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan to reach agreement on a regional effort to protect the fragile environment of the Caspian Sea.