A meeting of government officials of the Caspian littoral states was held within the framework of the UN's Third Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries, Report informs, citing the Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan.
The meeting discussed the main aspects of joint activities to reduce the negative impacts of the shallowing of the Caspian Sea.
Deputy Prime Minister of Azerbaijan Shahin Mustafayev noted the sustainable growth dynamics of trade turnover between the Caspian littoral states, stating that this creates a solid foundation for deepening cooperation in both bilateral and multilateral formats.
The Deputy Prime Minister noted that the III Caspian Economic Forum held in Tehran in February 2025 was significant in terms of expanding trade and mutual investment volumes, and deepening cooperation in energy and transport-logistics sectors.
In his speech, Mustafayev also touched upon ecological challenges, emphasizing that the decrease in water levels is causing concern throughout the region, noting that this problem was raised by the President of Azerbaijan at the 2022 Ashgabat Summit, and preparations for organizing the first meeting of the five-party expert group in Baku are continuing.
Additionally, the socio-economic and ecological aspects of changes in the Caspian Sea ecosystem were extensively discussed at the event. The potential impacts of water level changes on living conditions in coastal areas and regional development processes were in focus.
Mustafayev noted that to minimize the negative effects of level changes, it is necessary to expand scientific research cooperation and implement joint programs in the fields of fisheries, shipping, and biodiversity conservation.
During the meeting, an initiative was put forward to launch a multilateral interaction mechanism that would allow for the formation of common standards and approaches for studying the changes occurring in the Caspian Sea.