Azerbaijan to host 1st meeting of commission on Caspian Sea decline in 2027

The first meeting of the intergovernmental commission on addressing the decline in the Caspian Seachr("39")s water level will be held in Azerbaijan in the first half of 2027.

The decision was made at the Caspian Environmental Summit, attended by the leaders of the five Caspian littoral states: Azerbaijan, Russia, Iran, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.

The leaders agreed to establish the commission, comprising deputy heads of government from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, as well as senior representatives from Iran and Russia.

Subsequent meetings will be held on a rotating basis in the territories of the Caspian littoral states, following the alphabetical order of their names in English.

The initiative to establish a commission, or working and expert groups, to study the decline in the Caspian Seachr("39")s water level was proposed by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

At the sixth Summit of Heads of Caspian Littoral States, held in Ashgabat on June 29, 2022, Aliyev highlighted the problem of the Caspian Seachr("39")s rapidly declining water level.

At the time, the Azerbaijani president proposed establishing joint expert groups involving specialists from the Caspian countries to investigate the causes of the environmental problem and prevent its consequences.