Ilham Aliyev Warns of 'Disastrous' Condition of the Caspian Sea

The President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, warned his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, about the 'disastrous' condition of the Caspian Sea, stating that the sea is 'shrinking.' The decline in the water level of the Caspian Sea has been a concern for years, with research published by Western scientists predicting that the water level could drop by 9 to 18 meters by the end of this century, leading to extensive drying of northern Caspian regions and coastal areas of surrounding countries. On Monday, August 20, Aliyev told Putin in Baku that the water level has dropped to the extent that some rocks in the coastal waters of Baku are now visible. He took Putin on a tour of several areas in Baku, including the 'Daghustu' Park. Images released in the media show him pointing towards the sea while explaining the situation to Putin. Aliyev stated in a meeting with reporters that he was discussing the 'disastrous' decline in sea levels during that scene. He further noted that Putin promised to conduct joint research between the two countries to prevent the advancement of the environmental disaster in the Caspian Sea. The Volga River in Russia is the largest source of water for the Caspian Sea, which has faced increasing water level declines since the mid-1990s. Nazim Mahmudov, head of the National Hydrometeorology Department of Azerbaijan, told Reuters that two factors, climate change and the reduced inflow of the Volga River to the Caspian due to excessive agricultural use in Russia, have contributed to the drop in the sea's water level. Iran, Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan are the coastal countries of the Caspian Sea and signed the Caspian Sea Environmental Convention in 2003.