Uzbekistan’s foreign exchange transactions surge 24% in first half of 2025
The total value of foreign currency transactions between banks and individuals in Uzbekistan reached 14.5 billion U.S. dollars in the first six months...
Azerbaijan is calling for closer regional cooperation with Central Asian neighbors to confront the escalating climate crisis in the Caspian Sea, said Mukhtar Babayev, Azerbaijan’s presidential climate envoy and COP29 President, in an interview with The Times of Central Asia.
Babayev stressed that falling water levels in the Caspian Sea, now at their lowest point since the 19th century, represent a growing threat to biodiversity, infrastructure, and economic stability in the region. He pointed to shared environmental pressures in the South Caucasus and Central Asia, including water scarcity and desertification, which are being worsened by climate change and declining river flows.
“The drying of the Caspian Sea is one of the central challenges,” Babayev said. “At the recent Nevsky International Environmental Congress, Azerbaijan proposed a summit to address this crisis.”
Technology-Driven Solutions and AI Integration
Highlighting the role of innovation, Babayev said Azerbaijan has incorporated artificial intelligence into its national climate programs to improve forecasting and scenario modeling. He called for joint scientific capacity-building and regional data-sharing as crucial first steps toward a coordinated environmental strategy.
“Artificial intelligence can improve forecasting and scenario modeling,” Babayev noted. “Regional actions have global implications, and the Caspian experience could shape future international climate policies.”
Call for Political Unity and River Restoration
Babayev identified the Kura, Ural, Terek, Samur, and Volga Rivers as essential lifelines for the Caspian ecosystem, warning that their reduced flow has exacerbated ecological decline. He emphasized that the climate crisis is particularly acute in Kazakhstan’s Atyrau and Aktau regions, where agriculture, marine energy, and port operations are increasingly affected.
He cautioned that, in the absence of political cooperation, water scarcity could trigger regional competition, underscoring the need for a unified political approach among Caspian littoral states to prevent tensions and coordinate environmental restoration.
“The Aral Sea offers a stark precedent; its desiccation triggered not only environmental degradation but also social upheaval,” he said. “Our focus now must be on mitigation and adaptation.”
Toward a Caspian Climate Summit
As president of the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) to be held in Baku, Babayev’s statements reflect Azerbaijan’s broader ambition to lead regional climate diplomacy. The proposed Caspian Summit would bring together states most directly affected by the crisis to agree on actionable measures to preserve one of the world’s largest inland bodies of water.
With rising climate pressures, Azerbaijan’s push for regional unity may become a central theme of COP29, bridging local challenges with the global climate agenda.
The world’s biggest dance music festival faces an unexpected setback as a fire destroys its main stage, prompting a last-minute response from organisers determined to keep the party alive in Boom, Belgium.
China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will send an upgraded ‘version 3.0’ free-trade agreement to their heads of government for approval in October, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Saturday after regional talks in Kuala Lumpur.
Germany's export slump since 2021 is largely driven by deep-rooted competitiveness issues, the Bundesbank warned in its latest report, calling for urgent structural reforms.
Israeli researchers have unveiled an artificial intelligence tool that can determine a person’s true biological age from tiny DNA samples with remarkable precision.
Two Harry Potter actresses, Emma Watson and Zoe Wanamaker, have each received a six-month driving ban after separate speeding offences, both sentenced on the same day at a Buckinghamshire court.
The total value of foreign currency transactions between banks and individuals in Uzbekistan reached 14.5 billion U.S. dollars in the first six months of 2025, reflecting a 24% increase year on year.
Syrian security forces are preparing to redeploy to the Druze-majority city of Sweida in the south of the country after a brief ceasefire collapsed, reigniting clashes with Bedouin tribes, according to the Syrian Interior Ministry.
Pope Leo said on Thursday he hopes to travel to Türkiye later this year for the 1,700th anniversary of a major Christian Church summit, in what would be the first foreign trip of his papacy.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced on Thursday that the latest discussions on Cyprus were "constructive" and that progress had been made on several initiatives.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan has called Israel 'a terrorist state', stating that its aggression poses a threat to the entire region.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment