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British traveler Carl Bushby and American traveler Angela Maxwell, accompanied by accompanied by 15-time Azerbaijani swimming champions Anastasia Boborkina and Abdurrahman Rustamov, plan to become the first people ever to swim across the world's largest closed inland body of water, the Caspian Sea. The expedition covering approximately 300 kilometers, from Aktau, Kazakhstan, to Baku, Azerbaijan, will begin mid-August and take about a month to complete. Crossing the Caspian Sea is a significant part of the unique and ambitious 'Goliath' project instigated by Carl Bushby to circumnavigate the globe without using any form of transport. Having set off in 1998, the paratrooper-turned writer has now covered over two-thirds of the 58,000-kilometre journey. Angela Maxwell is an experienced American traveler, renowned for her extreme expeditions. In 2014, she sold all her belongings and set off on foot to explore the world. Since then, she has covered thousands of kilometers, often alone, through different countries, encountering diverse cultures and overcoming numerous challenges. Maxwell's participation in the Caspian Sea swim adds a new dimension to the Goliath expedition whilst emphasizing both adventurers' daring spirit and courage. The Caspian Sea swim is a physically challenging and strategically important part of journey, given the current climate which prohibits crossing Russia and Iran by foot. Bushby admits to having limited swimming experience and to preserve their energy and safely attain their goal, the pair plan to swim around 10 kilometers a day, escorted by a boat to assist in any emergencies.
Turkmenistan will start the transit of cargo along the Resht-Kaspian railroad line in Iran, as reported by the publication, Turkmenistan: Golden Age, citing Milad Salehi, the Director General of Railways of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Sulfur transit from Turkmenistan will start along this route next week. The Resht-Kaspian railroad is an important part of the North-South international transportation corridor connecting the Caspian Sea with the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman. It also links the north and south of the country. This route opens up new opportunities for cargo transit from Central Asia to the Middle East and South Asia.
A roundtable discussion on Central Asia’s cooperation with the European Union was held on February 2nd at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Office in Brussels, Belgium. The event brought together representatives from UNDP, the European Commission, and ambassadors of Central Asian countries to the EU. The participants discussed ways to boost sustainable economic growth in the region by creating partnerships to ensure a steady supply of critical raw materials, and enhancing the efficiency of the Trans-Caspian Corridor, also known as the Middle Corridor. The participants also emphasized the importance of supporting the transition of Central Asian economies towards environmentally friendly and sustainable systems, in line with their climate commitments on emissions. Katarzyna Wawiernia, the UNDP resident representative in Kazakhstan, emphasized the significance of the Trans-Caspian Corridor and the sustainable development of the Caspian region overall. “We recommend adopting a sustainable landscape management approach for the future development of the Caspian region. In this regard, UNDP, in partnership with the Government of Kazakhstan, is planning a large-scale initiative to promote an integrated ecosystem-based approach to conserve key species and habitats of the Caspian Sea and ensure sustainable economic development for local communities. Throughout its history, the Caspian Sea has been a significant source of biological resources. They make up a single ecosystem that requires strong protection from natural and people-made factors,” Ms Wawiernia said.
