At Caspian summit, Iran FM urges joint efforts to boost security, economic ties

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian has called on Caspian Sea littoral states to promote collective efforts aimed at safeguarding the region’s security and increasing economic cooperation among the five nations.

Delivering a speech on Tuesday at the Caspian states ministerial meeting summit in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, the chief diplomat said Iran constantly laid emphasis on the necessity of designing a mechanism for collective work in the fields of protecting regional security and boosting joint economic cooperation among the five Caspian neighbors.

“This issue is highly significant in terms of the security and national interests of all the Caspian littoral states,” he added.

Amirabdollahian welcomed relevant proposals to that effect, including one put forward by Russia, saying Moscow’s latest initiative would systematize and strengthen cooperation in the strategic region.

He also voiced Iran’s support for the holding of the second “Caspian Economic Forum” in Russia, saying the Islamic Republic believes the five Caspian Sea neighbors need to attach special importance to trade and transportation, as two important sectors that could facilitate growth and development in those countries.

It has been four years since the signing of the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea, he said.

In this regard, although we have taken an important step, very important issues still remain unresolved, such as “the designation of maritime zones” and “the demarcation of basins and sub-basins,” the minister added.

Azerbaijan Republic, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan are the five Caspian littoral states.

The sixth summit meeting of the Caspian Sea littoral states will be held in the in the Turkmen capital on Wednesday.edited 08:33 PM

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