The President of Turkmenistan, Serdar Berdimuhamedov, congratulated the participants of the Scientific and Practical Conference ‘The Caspian Sea – A Sea of Friendship and Peace’ on the start of the forum, as well as on Caspian Sea Day. This was reported by the state news agency TDH.

The Head of State noted that Turkmenistan actively initiates the development of trade, economic and cultural ties in the region, supported by the Caspian countries. An important step was the holding of the first Caspian Summit in Ashgabat, which laid the foundations for multifaceted cooperation and the development of key documents, such as the Framework Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea.

The President of Turkmenistan recalled the first Caspian Environmental Forum in 2012 in the ‘Avaza’ National Tourist Zone and highlighted the country's efforts in environmental partnership. The Head of State also noted initiatives to intensify energy, transport and trade cooperation, including the Caspian Economic Forum in 2019 and proposals made at the sixth Caspian Summit in 2022.

In September 2023, Turkmenistan proposed at the 78th session of the UN General Assembly to establish a ‘Caspian Environmental Initiative’ to strengthen environmental cooperation. Avaza was named an example of sustainable development and a venue for important international events, including the recent UN conference on landlocked countries.

Serdar Berdimuhamedov expressed confidence that the forum and accompanying events would contribute to strengthening cooperation, scientific study of the Caspian ecosystem and the development of peace and trust in the region, wishing the participants good health and success.