The foreign ministers of the Caspian countries – Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran – in a meeting in Ashgabat on Tuesday discussed documents for the sixth Caspian Summit, which opens on June 29 in Turkmen capital, the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told briefing following a meeting of the foreign ministers.
"In the course of our work today, we received a report from experts who worked for several days before today's meeting and who reported on the draft of the final communiqué to be submitted for approval by the Heads of States,” the Russian Foreign Ministry cites Lavrov as saying during a press briefing.
The Russian Foreign Minister stated that the key issues on which the parties agreed "are primarily the reaffirmation of sovereignty, equality, non-interference in domestic affairs and all the principles of the UN Charter, on which the Caspian cooperation is based.”
Meeting Between Top Diplomats of Turkmenistan and Russia
On the sidelines of the meeting of the foreign ministers of Caspian countries, the top diplomat of Turkmenistan and Russia, Rashid Meredov and Sergey Lavrov, held a bilateral meeting.
The sides discussed current issues of bilateral relations, in particular ways to deepen cooperation in cultural, humanitarian and educational spheres. Special attention was paid to the security in the Caspian Sea region, Central Asia and neighboring countries, according to the press release of the Russian Foreign Ministry on the meeting.
The Russian foreign policy agency said Lavrov praised Turkmenistan's policy of neutrality and other initiatives of Ashgabat, including those on strengthening biological security in the region.
The previous summit of Caspian littoral states was held in Aktau city of Kazakhstan on August 12, 2018. The summit resulted in the signing of the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea.
