The workshop brought together representatives of Turkmenistan’s maritime transport agencies, including the Department of Sea and Inland Waterways, the State Enterprise for the Caspian Sea under the President of Turkmenistan "CaspEcoControl", the Nature Protection Ministry, and representatives of the Turkmen State Institute of Transport and Communications.

International experts from Austria, Denmark, Spain and Ukraine delivered presentations on international maritime law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the Marine Pollution Regulation (MARPOL) and related topics such as ballast water management, the role of waste management facilities, ecological monitoring and risk assessment in the maritime ecosystems, and regional mechanisms for response and remediation. Case studies from the Caspian, Black, Azov, Mediterranean and Baltic Seas and the Danube region were presented. The participants also discussed successful models of co-operation in the maritime sphere in other OSCE participating States and regions.

"The workshop demonstrated that OSCE-facilitated multilateral dialogue on maritime security can bring best practices to Turkmenistan from other regions, like the Baltic and Black Seas areas, to address the region’s maritime challenges," said Ambassador Arsim Zekolli, the Head of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat.

Peter Poulsen, Chairman of the Response Group of the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM), added: "The challenges faced by the Caspian Sea are not different from those in the Baltic region. The experience of the HELCOM in ensuring maritime safety and the model it has developed for inter-state cooperation in responding to oil pollution incidents can be useful for the Caspian region."

Boris Babin from the Odessa National Marine Academy noted: "The experience of implementing international conventions in protecting marine resources in the Azov and the Black Sea regions can be useful for the work on safeguarding the Caspian region’s biodiversity and sustainable maritime transport system. In this respect, the work of international organizations like the OSCE with national authorities to raise awareness about the existing conventions and to promote regional dialogue is crucial."