The rapid decline of the Caspian Sea’s water levels is set to take centre stage as Azerbaijan’s president, Ilham Aliyev, joins regional leaders in Turkmenistan for a high-level environmental summit aimed at strengthening cooperation to protect the world’s largest inland body of water. The meeting, taking place in the Avaza National Tourist Zone on the Caspian coast, is intended to address mounting ecological challenges, including falling water levels, climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. The initiative was put forward by Turkmenistan, which has called for closer scientific and practical cooperation among the five countries bordering the sea.
President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Turkmenistan on 8 October for a series of high-level regional meetings, including the Caspian Environmental Summit. His visit also includes the eighth Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia and Azerbaijan and a meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). On 8 October, President Aliyev met Turkmenistan’s president, Serdar Berdimuhamedov, in Avaza.
The two leaders discussed bilateral relations, transport, logistics, economic cooperation and issues concerning the Caspian Sea. The president of Azerbaijan also addressed the eighth consultative meeting, where Azerbaijan’s growing engagement with Central Asia was a central theme. On 9 October, the Azerbaijani leader arrived at the Avaza complex for the CIS leaders’ meeting, which is also taking place during the visit.
His participation in the wider programme reflects the importance Azerbaijan attaches to regional dialogue, including cooperation on environmental protection. Official reports confirm the bilateral talks, while Turkmenistan’s authorities have identified the Caspian Environmental Summit as one of the main events of the visit. The Caspian’s declining water levels have become a growing concern for countries across the region.
Azerbaijan has warned that the sea is approaching historically low levels, with potential consequences for coastal communities, shipping, fisheries and fragile habitats. The environmental pressures are complex, as changes in precipitation and evaporation, rising temperatures, river inflows and wider climatic shifts all affect the Caspian’s water balance. The sea has no natural outlet to the world’s oceans, making its level particularly sensitive to changes in the amount of water entering and leaving its basin.
For Azerbaijan, the implications extend beyond environmental conservation. The Caspian is an important transport corridor connecting the South Caucasus with Central Asia and forms part of trade routes linking Europe and Asia. Changes in water depth can create additional challenges for ports, shipping operations and regional logistics.
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