Caspian States' Navies Draft Cooperation Agreement
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Navies of the Caspian Sea littoral countries have drafted a cooperation agreement ruling out any outsider's role for security in the world's largest lake, Iran's Navy commander announced.
Navy commanders of Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan held a gathering in the Russian city of Saint Petersburg to discuss the procedures for ensuring security in the Caspian Sea.
The meeting was held at Iran's suggestion.
"In the meeting, an agreement was drafted on cooperation among the (Caspian) sea littoral countries in diverse fields, according to which establishment of security in the Caspian Sea will take place without the presence of any foreign forces and only by the five littoral states," Iran's Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said.
The Iranian commander had raised the proposal for the meeting on the sidelines of a visit to the 7th International Maritime Defense Show in Saint Petersburg in early June.
The Caspian Sea is the largest inland body of water by area in the world. Five sovereign Caspian states located on its shores are the Islamic Republic of Iran, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Kazakhstan, Russian Federation, and Turkmenistan.
