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.
