Iran Favors Strong Economic Cooperation among Caspian States: FM

Speaking to reporters at the conclusion of a ministerial meeting of the Caspian Sea littoral states in Moscow on Tuesday, Zarif said the most important issue Iran has always raised on the Caspian Sea is the need for cooperation and coordination among its littoral states.

Iran has always shown regard for the joint efforts for the economic development of the Caspian Sea states based on their regulations and the principle of justice, the minister explained.

Since todayˈs meeting is the preliminary session of the upcoming Caspian Sea summit, due to be held in Astrakhan, good agreements were reached on wording and contents the final statement of the summit meeting, Zarif noted.

Of course, certain points remain, which will be discussed in the upcoming meeting of the experts and representatives of the Caspian states in Tehran and then in a special session before the Astrakhan meeting, he added.

“I feel todayˈs session was a little bit better than what was expected. In today’s meeting, all sides agreed on certain bones of contention and subsequently good agreements were reached,” Zarif was quoted as saying by the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s official website.

According to the Iranian minister, good decisions were made in the meeting on cooperation among the littoral states in the fields of environmental protection, conservation of the flora and fauna of the sea, maintaining the Caspian Sea’s stability and security, as well as preventing foreign intervention.

High-ranking diplomats from the nations that border the Caspian Sea (Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan) attended the gathering in Moscow.

The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed water body on earth by area, variously classed as the world’s largest lake or a full-fledged sea.