Azernews.Az

Russia has signed a second protocol to the Tehran Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea, to oversee the protection of the sea against pollution from land based sources, the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology said on Wednesday, RIA Novosti news agency reported.

'A protocol for the protection of the Caspian Sea against pollution from land based sources has been agreed', the statement said. 'State Secretary and Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Nikolai Popov signed the document on behalf of the Russian Federation during a working visit to Iran'.

It is intended to play a crucial role in the prevention of pollution of the marine environment of the Caspian Sea, to resolve environmental problems and ensure the region's ecological security, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment said.

The Russian government approved the first Protocol on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in October 2012.

"We are interested in the development and future success of the Framework Convention," Popov said. "It has been playing a key role in promoting regional environmental cooperation since 2003."

The Tehran Convention, delivered with the assistance of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), was signed by government representatives of the five Caspian littoral countries -- Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan -- on November 4, 2003. The Convention is still the only multilateral treaty in the Caspian region.