Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, Feb.25/ Trend, H. Hasanov /
Turkmen Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov has been appointed as the Chairman of the Interdepartmental Commission on the Caspian Sea, an official Turkmen source said on Saturday.
President Gurbanguly Berdimuhammadov signed the relevant decree.
As local media outlets reported earlier, Ashgabat has outlined plans to intensify the negotiations with neighbouring countries in the Caspian region. The Caspian Sea washes along the coast of Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Iran and Turkmenistan
The matter rests with the issues related to the promotion and implementation of international initiatives on the Caspian Sea, put forward by Turkmenistan. According to the report, these proposals are aimed at preservation, augmentation and the rational use of biological resources of this unique natural reservoir, ensuring its environmental safety and development of constructive regional cooperation.
A number of international events including an environmental forum on the Caspian Sea are planned.
President Berdimuhamedov said at one of the government meetings that Turkmenistan will "actively participate in developing the optimal solutions to the issues related to the legal status of the Caspian Sea, to ensure peace and security in the region, to expand the fruitful cooperation and to strengthen good neighbourly relations, mutual understanding and trust between the people of the Caspian countries".
According to Turkmen specialists, the globalisation of the economic development of the Caspian littoral states and fluctuation of the Caspian Sea level requires a joint solution to a number of environmental problems, including the prevention of water pollution. The Caspian Sea is the world's largest intra-continental basin not connected to oceans.
Turkmenistan ranks fourth on the list of the world's largest natural gas reserves (after Russia, Iran and Qatar). The route of natural gas supplies to Europe via the Caspian Sea and Azerbaijan looks attractive. The Turkmen side expressed its readiness to conduct an appropriate environmental review to implement this project.