On August 12, a conference titled “Caspian Sea: Partnership for Sustainable Development” took place in Avaza. The forum, timed to coincide with Caspian Sea Day, brought together members of the government and heads of various state structures of Turkmenistan, foreign ambassadors, and experts from international and regional organizations.

Among the honored guests were representatives from Turkey, Georgia, Romania, the United Kingdom, and Tajikistan, as well as the UN Resident Coordinator's Office, the United Nations Development Programme, UNEP, the OSCE Ashgabat Center, FAO, the World Bank, the International Ocean Institute, and others.

President Serdar Berdimuhamedov sent a welcoming letter to the participants of the event, noting that Turkmenistan calls on the countries of the region and interested international structures to continue joint research to preserve the rich ecosystem and biological diversity of the Caspian Sea.

The Head of State reminded, that our country put forward the Caspian Environmental Initiative, which will provide an opportunity for substantive and professional interaction on a wide range of issues in the Caspian region. Its implementation will consolidate efforts to maintain environmental well-being and significantly coordinate targeted measures in the future.

Furthermore, the speakers discussed the practical aspects of Turkmenistan's state policy in the field of marine environmental protection in the Caspian Sea, presented the results of international cooperation in the field of environmental protection, and revealed the prospects for further cooperation, taking into account the economic component.

During the conference, Turkmenistan's role in developing new formats for effective political dialogue in the Caspian Sea was particularly emphasized, according to a statement from the Turkmen Foreign Ministry.

The decision to celebrate Caspian Sea Day was taken by the "five" Caspian littoral states (Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan) in Baku in May 2007 at the first Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea (Tehran Convention), which entered into force on 12 August, 2006

The Tehran Convention focuses on the preservation, restoration, and conservation of the marine environment. These goals are based on a number of recognized international principles of nature conservation, in particular, the sustainable and planned use of the biological resources of the Caspian Sea, the assessment and monitoring of environmental impacts, scientific research, and development.

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