Russia and Iran agreed on the protection of biological diversity of the Caspian Sea

Almaty. February 23. Silkroadnews - Russia and Iran agreed on the protection of biological diversity of the Caspian Sea, tranfers Russian news agency TASS.
"The Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Sergei Donskoy and Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zangane agreed on further cooperation in the field of oil and gas", - said in a statement.
The Russian minister noted the possibility of training Iranian specialists in the oil industry on the basis of Russian schools.
Donskoy also held talks with Iranian Energy Minister Hamid Chitchiyan. The parties agreed to enhance cooperation in the field of water management, as a result soon will be signed a bilateral memorandum of understanding. They discussed a wide range of possible interaction and exchange of experiences in research and inventory of water resources, the balance of groundwater, water purification issues and especially the process of desalination of sea water. Ministers also agreed to cooperate in the study of climate change and its impact on water resources.
In addition, Donskoy attended the conference held in Tehran on environmental issues, together with the Vice President of Iran and head of the Environmental Protection Masum Ebtekor.
The two sides discussed in detail the issues of cooperation between Iran and Russia in the field of environmental protection, focusing on the problems of conservation of biological resources of the Caspian basin.
Following the meeting, Donskoy and Ebtekor signed a protocol on the protection of biological diversity of the Caspian Sea to the Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea (Tehran Convention). This convention was signed on 4 November 2003 in Tehran by representatives of five Caspian littoral states - Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.
"As stated in the Convention, it focuses on "the protection of the marine environment of the Caspian Sea from pollution, including the protection, preservation, restoration, sustainable and rational use of biological resources", - the report says.