TEHRAN – The Iranian ambassador to Turkmenistan participated in the scientific-practical international conference titled ‘Caspian Sea -Cooperation for Sustainable Development’ which was held in the national tourism zone of Awaza, Turkmenistan on August 12, marking the Caspian Sea Day.

In 2003, the Caspian littoral states, namely Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan, signed the (Tehran) Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea.

Following ratification by all five Governments of the Caspian littoral states, the Tehran Convention entered into force on the 12th of August 2006. Since then, the Caspian Sea Day is celebrated on August 12 annually. 

They centered on examining environmental issues in the Caspian Sea and other related factors in fields of politics, economy, trade, ecology, and humanitarian collaborations, ISNA reported.

Also, a wide range of issues on boosting cooperation among littoral countries, and establishing sustainable development were reviewed and discussed by participants.

Delivering a speech at the conference, Ali-Mojtaba Rouzbahani, stated that the Caspian Sea is a common heritage as well as a point of connection for the littoral states. It is a source of blessings for more than 270 million people.

The Caspian Sea region is a strategic region connecting the North-South and East-West corridors. It is the duty of the coastal regions to protect the Caspian for future generations as it has been inherited to us clean and safe.

The official went on to say that the approval of the Tehran Convention, as the first step in realizing cooperation in the Caspian Sea, indicates the importance of preserving the environment as an important principle for all activities in the Sea.

“Although industrial activities, creating safe transportation corridors in the Caspian Sea and extracting hydrocarbon resources from the Sea contribute to the economic development and social welfare of Caspian states, ignoring the littoral countries’ responsibilities for the pollution of the water threatens its health and ecosystem,” Rouzbahani noted.

Adhering to agreed environmental standards and considering the potential cross-border environmental impacts should be given more attention when implementing national and trans-regional plans, he stressed.

Referring to the negative effects of the dropping water level on people’s lives, he said the impacts of the dropped water level on the aquatic life and the unique vegetation of the Caspian Sea are evident to everyone. To prevent the change in water level, all coastal countries should enhance their collaborations.

“So far, four protocols have been signed to combat oil as well as land-based pollution, protect biodiversity, and assess transboundary environmental effects. These protocols provide the necessary legal framework for focusing efforts to control environmental activities in the Caspian Sea,” Rouzbahani stated.

Another important environmental protocol that is being negotiated is on monitoring, evaluating, and exchanging information protocol. It is necessary for all parties to complete this important environmental protocol.

Moreover, about a decade after making agreements, the establishment of the headquarters of the Convention Secretariat in the Caspian region has not been implemented yet, adding to the existing problems.

At the end, the official announced Iran’s readiness to host the seventh Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP).

Caspian states address environmental crimes

The second meeting of the representatives of Caspian Sea countries to deal with environmental crimes was held from April 4-5 in Baku, Azerbaijan.

The five littoral states discussed the environmental challenges and harms facing the Caspian Sea.

They also exchanged views on protecting the aquatic resources of the Caspian Sea and upholding national laws related to the environment and the management of natural resources in the Sea.

The officials emphasized the need to enhance and expand judicial cooperation among the five states.

The Iranian delegation led by Gholam-Abbas Torki, deputy prosecutor general, highlighted the preservation of the Caspian Sea biodiversity, national laws related to the environment, and management of natural resources in the Caspian Sea.

Torki said that the right to the environment is considered one of the fundamental rights.

“The Caspian Sea is of great economic importance for the littoral states in terms of diverse resources and reserves, distinct ecological features, remarkable genetic richness, and unique biological diversity,” he further noted.

“We have gathered to protect the four main components of life in the Sea including water, air, coast, and biodiversity of the Caspian Sea, among which the latter is of significant importance since it involves the preservation of genes and rare species and the ecosystem of the Caspian Sea,” Torki highlighted.

The Iranian delegation discussed the necessity of implementing the "Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea", known as the Tehran Conference, and its additional protocols, which include obligations and legal frameworks for cooperation on prevention, reduction, and control of pollution, protection, maintenance, restoration and logical use of marine living resources and the management of coastal areas which was welcomed by the prosecutors' offices of the five coastal countries.

To deal with environmental crimes in the Caspian Sea, in addition to boosting scientific and educational cooperation between the general prosecutor's offices, it was suggested to create a comprehensive joint information bank to tackle Caspian Sea issues, forecast the compensation system and create special funds to protect and address environmental pollution and money laundering caused by environmental crimes.

On the sidelines of the meeting, Torki and his Azerbaijani counterpart Kamran Aliyev, held a meeting.

Referring to the good judicial cooperation between the prosecutor general offices of the two countries, Aliyev lauded Iran’s effective measures and approaches in solving some judicial challenges. He expressed hope for the expansion of cooperation between the two countries to safeguard the Caspian Sea environment.

7th COP

The Seventh Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea, known as the Tehran Convention, will be held in Tehran in 2024.

The final statement of the sixth meeting which was held in Baku, the Republic of Azerbaijan, also decided on a special working group to be formed for settling issues related to the structure of the secretariat of the meeting, IRNA reported.

The objective of the Tehran Convention is the protection of the Caspian environment from all sources of pollution including the protection, preservation, restoration, and sustainable and rational use of the biological resources of the Caspian Sea.

In 2003, the Caspian littoral states signed the (Tehran) Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea.

The Tehran Convention serves as an umbrella legal instrument that not only aims at protecting the Caspian environment from all sources of pollution but also targets the preservation, restoration, and protection of the Caspian Sea species and habitats.

The Convention includes provisions on the sustainable and rational use of living resources of the Caspian Sea, environmental impact assessment and environmental monitoring, as well as research and development.

Further to the general obligations of the Tehran Convention, the littoral States are required to take all appropriate measures to achieve these objectives individually or jointly and to cooperate with international organizations to that end.

MT/MG