Tokayev warns of economic risks from Caspian Sea ecological crisis
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said the ecological crisis of the Caspian Sea could have serious economic consequences and called for immediate action.
Abdulrahman Sadikhli2 min read
Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev warned that the ecological crisis of the Caspian Sea could have serious economic consequences and called for urgent action to protect its ecosystem. This is stated in a message from the press service of the head of Kazakhstan, distributed on October 9, 2026.
Speaking at the first environmental summit on the Caspian in Turkmenistan, Tokayev thanked Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov for the initiative to hold the meeting and called it historic given the strategic importance of the Caspian Sea for the region.
"The Caspian is a unique natural treasure, a source of well-being for millions of people and a key transport and energy hub for the entire Eurasian continent. Therefore, preserving the ecosystem of the Caspian Sea requires special attention, above all from our states," Tokayev said.
He agreed with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian that the situation has become not merely an ecological but essentially an economic crisis with potentially dangerous consequences.
According to Tokayev, from 2000 to 2025 the total area of marine waters shrank by more than 16,000 square kilometers, and in some areas the coastline receded by tens of kilometers.
He attributed the deterioration to reduced water inflow, climate warming and anthropogenic pressure, which negatively affect the fragile ecosystem and biodiversity of the sea.
Tokayev also expressed concern about the fate of Caspian seals, whose population over the past century has declined from one million to 270,000.
He warned that without urgent and decisive action the environmental situation will rapidly deteriorate, causing irreparable harm to the peoples of the Caspian states and the wider international community.
Source: trend.az
