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Caspian deputy foreign ministers gather in Baku

12 October 2010 08:28 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Lachin Sultanova â€“ APA. The deputy foreign ministers of the Caspian littoral states gathered in Baku to discuss a draft agreement on the Caspian regional security. According to APA, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan Khalaf Khalafov said this was a third meeting dedicated to this issue. â€œThe draft agreement is on agenda of the Caspian experts for almost two years. It aims to create mechanism of security cooperation in the Caspian region. We believe that adoption of this document will lead to the improvement of legal regime in the Caspianâ€, said Khalafov and added that the Convention on the Caspian legal status will be discussed in Iran.

The diplomat said the meetings were held on the eve of the Caspian summit in Baku on November 18, 2010 and could be considered as preparation for the summit of the leaders of the Caspian littoral states.

Deputy Foreign Minister of Iran, adviser to the Iranian president for the Caspian issues Mohammad Mehdi Akhundzadeh said he attended the Caspian meeting for the first time. The Iranian diplomat called the Caspian security as an important issue and said nothing could prevent cooperation in the region. â€œThis region belongs to the people living here and everyone wants close neighborhood and friendly relationsâ€.

Department chief of the Kazakhstanâ€™s foreign ministry Zulfiya Amonjanova said she was hopeful that the agreement would be agreed and it would be a priority of the agenda of the Caspian summit. The diplomat said Kazakhstan would submit a draft agreement on border cooperation in this summit.

Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Sergei Ryabkov said despite a progress reached on a number of issues in March, 2010, there were some serious problems remained unresolved. He called on the sides to show understanding. â€œI believe the Caspian littoral states are able to take security commitmentsâ€.

Deputy Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan Toyli Komyakov spoke about the position of his country on the Caspian security issues. He said Turkmenistan put different proposals forward at the international meetings on this issue.

The meeting was held behind the closed doors.