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Khalaf Khalafov says he hopes principles accepted at Astrakhan summit will be considered in preparation of Convention

04 March 2015 08:22 (UTC +04:00)

Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Khalaf Khalafov made the above statement today in his speech at the 39th meeting of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the legal status of the Caspian Sea, APA reports.

Khalafov said the 2010 Baku summit of heads of state gave new impetus to some top issues, especially those of the division of the Caspian Sea water surface and protection of bio-resources.

“And Astrakhan summit gave new impetus to the position of member states on the determination of the legal status of the Caspian Sea, and a number of new documents were adopted. I hope that principles the presidents agreed upon at the Astrakhan summit will also be taken into consideration while preparing the Convention. I would like to underline the importance of mutual trust among the sides regarding issues of regional stability, security and economic activity on the Caspian Sea, which plays a key role in transit corridors and the implementation of a number of international projects. In this regard, I would mention projects connecting the Caspian Sea to the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway line, and the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas line. These projects will contribute to economic development and welfare of countries,” said the deputy FM.