Iran to host Caspian Sea environmental summit after three-year hiatus

Iran will host the seventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP7) to the Tehran Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea from September 20 to October 1. Following the event, Iran will assume the rotating chairmanship of the convention. Arman Khorsand, head of the Center for International Affairs and Conventions at the Department of Environment, stated that the schedule consists of two stages: three days of expert meetings followed by a high-level session on the final day. The gathering will include UN representatives and environment ministers and officials from the five Caspian littoral states. The agenda focuses on finalizing documents regarding convention protocols and drafting a declaration for the participating environment ministers. This meeting marks the first such session in three years.