In a significant step towards establishing the Secretariat of the Secretariat of the Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea (Tehran Convention), Baku will host the inaugural meeting of the ad hoc expert group tasked with organizing the Secretariat’s activities. The meeting is scheduled to take place on 18-19 December 2023.
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Ceyhun Bayramov announced the upcoming meeting during his remarks at the Moscow meeting of foreign ministers from the Caspian Littoral States on 5 December 2023.
He emphasized the urgent need to address the Caspian Sea’s environmental challenges, including the alarming issue of its shrinking water level.
In response to these concerns, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev initiated the formation of the expert group to draft a comprehensive plan for the Secretariat’s operation. Preparations are underway to ensure an expert meeting in Baku.
It was noted that the holding of the 6th Conference of the Parties to the Tehran Convention in Baku in October 2022 and the discussion of issues arising during the implementation of the Tehran Convention played a useful role.
In this regard, the hope was expressed that the agreement reached to hold the first meeting of the special expert group on the organization of the activities of the Tehran Convention Secretariat in Baku would create an opportunity for a constructive dialogue.
At the meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Caspian littoral states (Azerbaijan, Russia, Iran, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan), various issues of cooperation were discussed, including in trade, economic, investment, energy security, connectivity, and environmental protection. ///nCa, 5 December 2023 (photo credit – MFA Azerbaijan)