Astrid Klug: We must exploit and support opportunities for environmentally sound development of the Caspian Sea
Germany and Azerbaijan want to strengthen their cooperation in environmental protection. "The German Government supports initiatives for improving the environmental situation in the Caspian Sea. In this region, which in future will provide Germany and the EU with substantial quantities of oil and gas, there is now an opportunity to lay the groundwork for sustainable development.," said parliamentary state secretary at the Federal Environment Ministry Astrid Klug, following a visit to the Azerbaijani capital Baku, where she had participated in a two-day environment conference of the littoral states of the Caspian Sea.
The Federal Environment Ministry already supports Azerbaijan in building up environmental administration structures and in water body and nature conservation. Agreement was also reached on the fringes of the conference to intensify cooperation with other littoral states. This included confirming the continued cooperation with Russia, and an agreement to hold an environmental technology fair in Kazakhstan next year. Possibilities for cooperation with Turkmenistan, e.g. in nature conservation, will be explored over the coming months. The potential for cooperation in the region is seen as considerable, especially in technologies for the environmentally sound extraction and transport of oil and gas and in water body protection.
At the conference, the environment ministries of Azerbaijan and Germany signed a Memorandum of Understanding which will pave the way for joint projects on climate protection. "This opens up good opportunities for cooperation, especially for German companies," said Astrid Klug, "for example, in collecting and using accompanying gases from oil extraction, and in the modernisation of Azerbaijan's energy industry."