"This workshop aims to help countries around the Caspian co-operate in their responses to oil spills," said Marc Baltes, Senior Adviser in the OSCE Office for Economic and Environmental Activities.

The three-day event is organized by the OSCE Centre in Astana, the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities and Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Emergency Situations with financial support from Finland.

The workshop aims to identify key areas related to oil spill preparedness, response and co-operation to strengthen Caspian countries’ national response systems and to help them interact within the regional framework for the Caspian Sea.

"The Caspian Sea is an ecologically sensitive area and its enviornmental security is under threat due to the expansion of oil drilling operations," said Nurslyam Dusekenov, Deputy Chair of Committee on State Control for Emergency Situations and Industrial Safety of the Ministry of Emergency Situations. "Therefore, we have to pay close attention to oil-spill response mechanisms, and we must use reliable equipment and technologies, reduce man-caused pollution of the marine ecosystem and enforce the legislative base to ensure Caspian Sea security."

The workshop follows earlier OSCE work to help the Caspian region deal with oil spills conducted following the 2008 OSCE Economic and Environmental Forum that focused on maritime waterways.