"Baku summit designed to give new impetus to negotiations on Caspian Sea"

The summit of the Caspian littoral states scheduled for Nov.18 in Baku is designed to give the dynamics to the negotiation process in an attempt to reach consensus on important issues of the Caspian Sea  and be an effective step to develop the optimal format of cooperation, which aims to - forever consolidate the status of the Caspian sea of peace, friendship and harmony, the Turkmen government reported.

Turkmen President Gurbangulu Berdimuhammedov left the country for Azerbaijan to attend the summit and hold a series of bilateral meetings here. The event will consider a range of topical issues, primarily the elaboration of the legal status of Caspian Sea regional cooperation, particularly in ensuring security in the Caspian Sea.

"Steadily implementing a foreign policy based on principles of equal and mutually beneficial partnership and the balance of national and common interests, independent and neutral Turkmenistan in favor of a constructive dialogue for the sake of peace and harmony, enhancing effective cooperation in the area of the Caspian Sea - in both bilateral and multilateral formats."

"The Ashgabat Summit, which can without exaggeration be called historic, allowed the participants to discuss the priority aspects of the interaction and identify areas of cooperation in the search for mutually agreed solutions to the Caspian problem."

A dialogue launched in Ashgabat was continued in the capital of the Islamic Republic of Iran- Tehran, which hosted the second summit of Caspian littoral states in October 2007. The countries signed a Joint Declaration at the Tehran summit.

Speaking at the Tehran summit, Berdimuhammedov said Turkmenistan would continue to participate actively in all matters relating to the legal status of the Caspian Sea to ensure peace and security in the region, strengthen good-neighborly relations, mutual understanding and trust between the peoples of the Caspian countries, which are united by a centuries-old historical and cultural ties, and expand the fruitful cooperation.

Baku will host the summit of the Caspian littoral countries on Nov. 18. A security cooperation agreement covering the Caspian Sea is expected to be signed at the Baku summit.


/Trend/