Iran, Russia to preserve Caspian ecosystem
Iran and Russia have signed a cooperation agreement to jointly
carry out research projects on the environmental problems of the
Caspian Sea.
Director of Caspian Marine Research Center Sergei Monakhov said based on the agreement, Russia and Iran would launch joint marine patrols to control the environmental status of the biggest lake of the world.
Oil, pesticides, as well as toxic metals including the heavy metals discharged by coastal agricultural and industrial units into the Sea pose the most serious threat to the Caspian ecosystem.
Monakhov added that the patrols would begin by August 2010.
Head of Water Research Institute of Iran Mohammad Riahi, for his part, said that the patrol would begin from Iran's northern coasts and continue its way toward Russia.
"The patrols will be carried out to assess the chemical and physical specifications of water resources of the Caspian Sea," Iran’s IRNA agency quoted Riahi as saying.
The maritime and seabed boundaries of the Caspian Sea have yet to be demarcated among Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan, the five countries bordering the Sea.
Earlier this year, the Caspian Environment Program offered a $5.5 million aid package to Caspian Sea littoral states to preserve the ecosystem of the Sea.
The CEP aims to assist these states in achieving sustainable development and in managing the Caspian habitat for the long-term benefit of its inhabitants. *
Director of Caspian Marine Research Center Sergei Monakhov said based on the agreement, Russia and Iran would launch joint marine patrols to control the environmental status of the biggest lake of the world.
Oil, pesticides, as well as toxic metals including the heavy metals discharged by coastal agricultural and industrial units into the Sea pose the most serious threat to the Caspian ecosystem.
Monakhov added that the patrols would begin by August 2010.
Head of Water Research Institute of Iran Mohammad Riahi, for his part, said that the patrol would begin from Iran's northern coasts and continue its way toward Russia.
"The patrols will be carried out to assess the chemical and physical specifications of water resources of the Caspian Sea," Iran’s IRNA agency quoted Riahi as saying.
The maritime and seabed boundaries of the Caspian Sea have yet to be demarcated among Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan, the five countries bordering the Sea.
Earlier this year, the Caspian Environment Program offered a $5.5 million aid package to Caspian Sea littoral states to preserve the ecosystem of the Sea.
The CEP aims to assist these states in achieving sustainable development and in managing the Caspian habitat for the long-term benefit of its inhabitants. *