National work plan for Caspian presented

A national work plan for protection of the Caspian and its coastal areas some 100 meters away from the sea was presented in a ceremony at the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources Wednesday.

According to Minister for Ecology and Natural Resources Huseyn Bagirov, this preliminary project will be discussed in a special forum on July 8. A real strategic work plan for preservation of the sea will be developed on the basis of similar documents developed in all the five littoral state sand the cross-border diagnostic analyses. The minister said they were compiling a list of priorities for protection with large companies, including bp involved. 55 problems of the Caspian have been identified to date. Also a priority will be strengthening the legal base, for example restriction for coastal activities.

The July 8 discussions will bring together NGOs, state officials, representatives from international organizations, and the public.*