BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 15. Kazakhstan plans to increase the volume of Kazakh oil shipments via the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline.
According to the press service of the president of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev made this statement on Thursday while speaking at the seventh Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Baku.
"It is obvious that the Caspian Sea is acquiring vital importance for ensuring the energy security of both our region and the whole world. Kazakhstan is firmly convinced that the Caspian must remain a space of peace and cooperation for the benefit of all states of the region and other countries. It is equally important to preserve it through joint efforts in the field of water resources and ecology," Tokayev said.
Along with this, the president noted that the environmental dimension of CICA's activities is becoming increasingly relevant.
In his opinion, water scarcity and the degradation of ecosystems have become among the most serious challenges for Asia.
"The Asia-Pacific region is home to 60 percent of the world's population, yet it accounts for only 35 percent of global water resources. As a result, per capita water availability here is the lowest in the world. Kazakhstan consistently advocates for water resources to continue serving as a source of cooperation. In this regard, we propose establishing a CICA Water Partnership aimed at developing technological exchange, conducting joint research, and implementing water-saving solutions. In a broader context, Kazakhstan's initiative to establish an International Water Organization within the UN system could ensure the coherence of the global water agenda. This proposal could be put forward jointly by Central Asian countries and Azerbaijan, while remaining open for all CICA states to join," the president said.
