• KGS/USD = 0.01149 0%
  • KZT/USD = 0.00189 0%
  • TJS/USD = 0.09079 -1.09%
  • UZS/USD = 0.00008 0%
  • TMT/USD = 0.28490 0%
  • KGS/USD = 0.01149 0%
  • KZT/USD = 0.00189 0%
  • TJS/USD = 0.09079 -1.09%
  • UZS/USD = 0.00008 0%
  • TMT/USD = 0.28490 0%
  • KGS/USD = 0.01149 0%
  • KZT/USD = 0.00189 0%
  • TJS/USD = 0.09079 -1.09%
  • UZS/USD = 0.00008 0%
  • TMT/USD = 0.28490 0%
  • KGS/USD = 0.01149 0%
  • KZT/USD = 0.00189 0%
  • TJS/USD = 0.09079 -1.09%
  • UZS/USD = 0.00008 0%
  • TMT/USD = 0.28490 0%
  • KGS/USD = 0.01149 0%
  • KZT/USD = 0.00189 0%
  • TJS/USD = 0.09079 -1.09%
  • UZS/USD = 0.00008 0%
  • TMT/USD = 0.28490 0%
  • KGS/USD = 0.01149 0%
  • KZT/USD = 0.00189 0%
  • TJS/USD = 0.09079 -1.09%
  • UZS/USD = 0.00008 0%
  • TMT/USD = 0.28490 0%
  • KGS/USD = 0.01149 0%
  • KZT/USD = 0.00189 0%
  • TJS/USD = 0.09079 -1.09%
  • UZS/USD = 0.00008 0%
  • TMT/USD = 0.28490 0%
  • KGS/USD = 0.01149 0%
  • KZT/USD = 0.00189 0%
  • TJS/USD = 0.09079 -1.09%
  • UZS/USD = 0.00008 0%
  • TMT/USD = 0.28490 0%
19 December 2024

Viewing results 1 - 6 of 12

Turkmenistan Celebrates Caspian Sea Day

The Caspian Sea Day is currently being celebrated in a series of festive events in Turkmenistan's national tourist zone, Avaza, With a key focus on environmental awareness, specialists from the Nature Protection Society of Turkmenistan have organized a programme of educational activities in schools and public spaces to instil in children, a love and respect for nature, encourage them to live in harmony with the environment, and develop a strong sense of responsibility for nature conservation. As part of the Caspian Day celebrations, the Society has conducted creative contests on environmental themes, exhibitions demonstrating the beauty of nature, photo contests, and cultural and sports competitions dedicated to the flora and fauna of the Caspian Sea. In addition to the above, Turkmenistan has organized international conferences, scientific meetings, and environmental events, with special attention paid to protecting the marine environment, preserving the unique ecosystem of the Caspian Sea, and developing regional cooperation. President Serdar Berdimuhamedov of Turkmenistan has consistently advocated turning the Caspian Sea into a zone of peace, trust, and ecological well-being, and is actively involved in developing trade, economic, and socio-cultural ties in the region. The Caspian Day on August 12 - a date chosen in connection with the instigation of the Framework Convention on the Protection of the Caspian Sea and the Environment from Pollution - has been celebrated annually since 2006, by the five Caspian littoral states: Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Russia, and Turkmenistan.

Caspian Sea Swim by Travelers Carl Bushby and Angela Maxwell

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.

Kazakhstan Deepens Caspian Ports to Boost Middle Corridor Potential

To further increase the potential of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), the Kazakh Ministry of Transport has begun dredging the port of Kuryk to provide sufficient depth for ships to enter the harbour. Specialized equipment to deepen the port by approximately 1.5-2 meters, has been supplied by Jan de Nul, a European company contracted to complete dredging works on a turnkey basis. Dredging Kuryk's port will allow for the further expansion of its terminal capacity which currently has provision for  6 million tons of cargo (railway terminal—4 million tons, automobile terminal—2 million tons). The port can also simultaneously accommodate 250 trucks. Similar dredging works will also be carried out in the port of Aktau. The project is part of the comprehensive measures to develop the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, also known as the Middle Corridor, which will connect China and Europe via Central Asia and the Caucasus. According to the Kazakh Ministry of Transport, the volume of cargo transportation through Kazakhstan along the TITR for the  first seven months this year increased by 62%; amounting to 2.5 million tons, compared to 1.6 million tons in the same period in 2023.

Kazakhstan’s Caspian Sea Level Rises by Over a Metre

On July 1, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation announced that the water level in the north-eastern part of the Caspian Sea in the Atyrau region, has risen by 119 cm since the beginning of 2024. The increase is due to the abundant inflow of floodwater, during April-May, from the Zhaiyk River and additional canals laid by the ministry. During the spring floods, some 7.4 billion cubic meters of water entered the Caspian Sea via the Zhaiyk River, whilst 350 million cubic metres of floodwater were channelled into the sea in Atyrau, via the  additional canals. Vice Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Nurlan Aldamzharov commented: “A total of 12.4 billion cubic meters of floodwater was sent to reservoirs, estuaries, and water meadows. Since the beginning of the floods, 3.3 billion cubic meters of water have been sent to Lake Balkhash. In addition, active filling of the Northern Aral Sea continues, with an inflow of more than 1.1 billion cubic meters of water since the beginning of the year.”    

Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan to Invest in Fiber Optic Cables in Caspian Sea

More than $50 million will be invested by Kazakhstani and Azerbaijani operators in laying fiber optic fiber along the bottom of the Caspian Sea. Kazakhstan's minister of digital development Zhaslan Madiev has announced: "Today, a joint venture between Kazakhtelecom JSC (Kazakhstan's national telecommunications company) and Azertelecom LLC has been established, and a tender to select a contractor for designing and laying an underwater FOCL is being finalized." The laying of optics on the bottom of the Caspian Sea will total 370 kilometers. "Investments of Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan telecom operators will total more than 23 billion tenges ($50.6 million)." Madiev also said that introducing 5G mobile communication in Kazakhstan should be completed by the end of 2025. According to him, by the end of 2027 cellular operators will invest almost $1 billion in the country's telecommunications industry. The Trans-Caspian fiber-optic communication line (FOCL) project along the Caspian Sea bed is part of the Digital Silk Road project, which envisages the creation of a digital telecommunications corridor between Europe and Asia. Earlier, it was reported that the deadline for the project's realization was 2025.

Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to Export Green Power to Europe

On 1 May , Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan’s ministers of energy gathered in Tashkent to sign a memorandum of cooperation aimed at connecting their countries’ energy systems. The focus of the initiative is to explore means of connecting energy systems via a high-voltage cable embedded in the Caspian Sea to enable further export of green energy from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan to European Union countries. Referencing the parties’ earlier draft technical specification for the deep-sea cable, Kazakhstan’s Minister of Energy Almasadam Satkaliev stated, “A proposed business model will be prepared for the development of international transmission corridors - financing, revenue, ownership - and the sale of green energy to European Union countries.” Meanwhile, Asiaplustj.info reports that Tajikistan is still not being envisioned as a part of the system. As that publication notes, Uzbekistan's energy system currently operates in parallel with the energy systems of Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan within the framework of the United Energy System of Central Asia (UES CA), which was created under the Soviet Union. This system was abandoned by Turkmenistan in 2003 because Uzbekistan refused to allow transit of Turkmen-produced electricity through its infrastructure. "In November 2009, after a major accident in Tajikistan's energy system, Uzbekistan unilaterally left the UES CA, which automatically left Tajikistan out of this system as well. In 2018, Uzbekistan restored parallel operation within the regional system. Since 2019, with financial support from the Asian Development Bank, work has been underway to bring Tajikistan back into the unified energy ring of Central Asia. The Ministry of Energy of Tajikistan last summer reported on its intentions... to join the regional system by the end of 2023. but this has not happened so far," the report noted.