BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 5. Turkmenistan supports Azerbaijan's initiative to establish a five-party expert group on the Caspian Sea, said Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov during the meeting of foreign ministers of the Caspian littoral countries in Moscow, Trend reports.
"We consider it expedient to involve scientific forces in its work, to form discussion platforms, possibly in the format of conferences, round tables and similar events. It is especially important to involve in this process researchers and specialists dealing with water management issues in the Caspian basin," he said.
Meredov noted that the Caspian Sea level decrease is one of the most urgent problems that requires close study and attention.
He added that only in the last 25 years the sea level has dropped by almost two meters, which is a worrying figure reflecting a negative tendency.
At the same time, referring to the issues of improving the situation, the minister emphasized that a detailed study of such a phenomenon as the decrease in the volume of water in the Caspian Sea will make it possible to understand its nature and, consequently, to develop measures to prevent and mitigate its consequences.
"If this requires additional legal instruments, Turkmenistan is ready to prepare a draft of the relevant five-party document for further discussion with littoral countries," Meredov said.
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