Afət Ziyadqızı
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian delivered a wide-ranging speech at a high-level meeting on protecting the Caspian Sea’s environment in Turkmenistan, according to an official statement issued by the Presidential Administration of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Operative Information Center-OMM reports that Pezeshkian said the modern world was facing multiple crises, geopolitical rivalry and military conflicts, as well as serious challenges including unilateral sanctions and the weakening of multilateral diplomacy mechanisms.
The Iranian president stressed: “Environmental protection must not be sacrificed to political differences, economic competition or interference by forces from outside the region. The Caspian littoral states should independently determine the Caspian Sea’s future by mobilizing scientific, technical, financial and human resources within a framework of regional cooperation and mutual respect for national sovereignty.”
The head of state recalled military attacks on the port city of Bandar Anzali in Iran’s Gilan province and on an Iranian civilian cargo ship in the Caspian Sea, saying such provocations threatened regional stability.
According to Pezeshkian, strikes on seaports along the Caspian coast, civilian vessels, fuel and energy terminals, industrial facilities and maritime infrastructure could seriously undermine regional peace and security and trigger cross-border environmental disasters affecting all Caspian littoral states.
The Caspian Sea is bordered by Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan. Cooperation among these states is important for addressing shared environmental concerns, including the protection of marine ecosystems and the prevention of pollution.
