The Iran called for economic rapprochement in the Caspian region
The head of the joint Iran-Russia Chamber of Commerce, Asadollah Akgaroladi urges establishing a closer economic partnership between all the Caspian nations, reports Tasnim News. The Iranian official believes that it is necessary to expand the trilateral format of Tehran-Moscow-Baku cooperation to the pentalateral one with the participation of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. The matter is the trilateral summit of the presidents of Iran, Azerbaijan and Russia held last week in Tehran. The key points of meeting’s agenda, organized for the second year in a row, covered energy, trade exchange and international transport corridor North-South. According to Asgaroladi, the involvement of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan in this format will encourage trade, political, economic and cultural ties in the Caspian basin. In 2018 Astana will host a summit of the top leadership of the Caspian countries, during which, probably, the fundamental instrument on the legal status of Caspian sea would be signed.
