🎙 Statement by President of Russia Vladimir Putin at the Caspian Environmental Summit (Turkmenbashi, October 9, 2026)

💬 Vladimir Putin: The Caspian Sea is of immense environmental, economic, transport and, of course, cultural and historical importance to all of us as one of the cradles of Eurasian civilisation.

Russia attaches the highest priority to working with its partners to protect and preserve the Caspian Sea’s ecosystem. Governments, businesses, civil society organisations and a wide range of scientists and specialists are actively involved in these efforts.

❗️ I share the view expressed by my colleagues that the declining water level of the Caspian Sea is one of the most pressing challenges we face today.

According to our estimates, over the past 20 years, some 20,000 square kilometres along the Russian section of the Caspian coastline alone have dried up. Russia has to allocate substantial budget funds every year to dredging operations to keep shipping routes navigable.

Research by Russian and foreign experts indicates that the main cause of the Caspian Sea’s declining water level is climate change.

☝️ Our countries need to develop joint measures to preserve the Caspian Sea’s ecosystem. We believe it is essential to make full use of existing international institutions for this purpose. I am referring primarily to the Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea – the so-called Tehran Convention of 2003.

I would also like to mention Russia’s proposal to create a digital copy of the Caspian Sea. This would be a highly accurate virtual model using AI algorithms to analyse changes in evaporation, precipitation and river inflows. The model could be used to produce reliable projections of changes in the Caspian Sea’s water level.

I would stress that large-scale efforts to preserve the Caspian ecosystem require not only financial resources and intergovernmental mechanisms, but also highly qualified specialists with expertise across a wide range of natural sciences. Training such specialists is a pressing task.

🤝 Russia has always supported, and will continue to support, closer cooperation among our countries to preserve the Caspian region’s ecosystem, ensure its sustainable growth and improve people’s quality of life.

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