Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan to Increase Oil Transit via Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline
At the Seventh Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) summit held on October 15, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev stated that Kazakhstan intends to cooperate with Azerbaijan to increase the volume of Kazakh oil transported through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline.
Tokayev emphasized the growing importance of the Caspian Sea for energy security. Kazakhstan maintains that the Caspian should remain a space for peace and cooperation, and that all states must jointly safeguard its water resources and ecological environment.
The president also underscored that water scarcity and ecosystem degradation represent some of the most pressing challenges facing Asia. With Asia accounting for approximately 60% of the world’s population, it holds only 35% of global freshwater resources.
Kazakhstan proposed establishing a water partnership under the CICA framework and advocated for the creation of an international water organization within the United Nations system.
Tokayev said Central Asian countries and Azerbaijan could jointly initiate the proposal for such an international water organization, open to participation by all CICA member states.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1879175526358279/
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