Russia says cooperation between Caspian states strengthens security of Eurasia

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Russia said on Tuesday that cooperation between the countries of the Caspian Sea strengthens the security of Eurasia.

“The joint work of the Caspian countries makes a significant contribution to ensuring security, stability and sustainable development on the Eurasian continent,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in a meeting with his Azerbaijani, Iranian, Kazakh and Turkmen counterparts in Moscow.

Lavrov further said that deepening practical cooperation between their countries is also significant in a broader sense, namely in the context of the formation of a multipolar world order.

“However, additional efforts are required to improve the quality of five-party interaction, strengthening its international legal foundations … The effectiveness of our work could be increased by the creation of the Caspian Council, a forum for cooperation and dialogue without any bureaucratic schemes,” he said.

Lavrov further said that Russia is counting on strengthening interaction between the Caspian countries based on the results of the 3rd Caspian Economic Forum set to be held in the Iranian capital Tehran.

For his part, Kazakh Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu confirmed his country's support for strengthening and deepening quintet cooperation in the region, saying that their first task is to put the convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea into force.

Saying that their meeting is taking place during a "turbulent" period both regionally and globally, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov also touched on the need to implement the provisions in the convention and that their implementation will ensure the "preservation of stability, prosperity, peace, friendship, cooperation and good neighborly relations in the Caspian region."

Meanwhile, Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov said that the construction of underwater energy infrastructure in the Caspian will meet their economic needs and act as "an important condition for ensuring energy security and sustainability in Eurasia."