Five-party cooperation process in Caspian Sea needs to be advanced

It is necessary to create a single organisation for the cooperation of the five Caspian littoral states, Azernews reports, citing Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian telling at the meeting of the Caspian littoral states' Foreign Ministers in Moscow said.

"It is necessary to advance the process of five-party co-operation in the Caspian Sea in a more accelerated mode. Also, we are convinced that all decisions should be taken with the consensus and agreement of the five Caspian littoral states. To turn the Caspian Sea into a symbol of friendship, progress and development, we need to strengthen collective co-operation. We must move towards structurisation. In this context, the creation of one secretariat or one organisation that can manage and control all areas of cooperation in the Caspian Sea is imperative," he said.

The minister emphasized that more impetus should be given to the five-party cooperation in the Caspian Sea. He said that Iran welcomes the development of central economy and joint investments in maritime transport, ports, navigation, maritime tourism, the establishment of free trade zones, fisheries, reasonable and sustainable use of bio-resources. It is necessary to strengthen trade, economic, and transport cooperation in the Caspian Sea.

"The holding of Caspian Economic Forums is a favorable basis for strengthening this cooperation. Unfortunately, the third Caspian Economic Forum in Tehran has been postponed. We are endeavoring to propose new dates for holding this forum at the level of prime ministers of the Caspian littoral states. Regular holding of this forum will ensure the interests of all five littoral states," Abdollahian added.

It should be noted that the meeting is chaired by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The meeting is attended by foreign ministers of the Caspian littoral states - Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan.