The VI Caspian Summit has moved to an expanded format – a meeting of the heads of the Caspian littoral states held in Ashgabat on Wednesday ended with a meeting in a narrow format. The Presidents moved to another, more spacious hall, where they were joined by members of the delegations of five countries.

Opening the expanded meeting, the Head of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov reminded the audience that the foundation of systemic and long-term cooperation on the entire spectrum of the Caspian agenda was laid in April 2002 in Ashgabat, when the first Caspian Summit was held.

According to the Turkmen leader, after 20 years, it can be argued that this format of political interaction in the Caspian region turned out to be in demand and served the common interests of the five coastal neighboring countries.

The summits that followed in Tehran, Baku, Astrakhan and Aktau also brought strong impulses to the formation of the architecture of relations in the region. The key achievement is the adoption in 2018 of the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea.

Work is also underway on agreements on cooperation in the Caspian Sea at the level of departments – in the field of transport, fisheries, shipping, conservation of biological resources, environmental safety, prevention and liquidation of emergency situations, etc.

That is, the constructive and respectful dialogue conducted by the Caspian countries covers all the main aspects of the Caspian issues – politics, economy, trade, ecology and humanitarian ties.

ORIENT news