State Duma: Mutually beneficial cooperation in the area of the Caspian Sea is of strategic importance for Russia

Such opinion was expressed by member of the Committee on International Affairs Sergei Zhelezniak following the Fifth Caspian Summit, which was held in Aktau, Kazakhstan.The heads of Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan signed the Convention on the Status of the Caspian Sea
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Member of the Committee on International Affairs Sergei Zhelezniak Zhelezniak Sergei Vladimiroviсh Zhelezniak
Sergei Vladimiroviсh
noted that the signed Convention increases the level of mutual trust and ”lends impetus for the effective development of a large number of joint economic, humanitarian and environmental projects within the countries of the Caspian region“.

”It is important that, in addition to discussing cooperation in such spheres as energy, transport, trade, the digital economy, and cooperation between special services and in emergency situations, coordination of actions on the foreign arena and many other areas, the heads of states discussed the problems of strengthening security,“ the parliamentarian said.

”Our countries are situated in a very difficult geopolitical region, in dangerous proximity to the sources of instability in the Middle East, effectively blocking the way of spreading the terrorist threat,“ he added.

”The willingness to cooperate in the military and political area, outlined in the declaration, will strengthen the positions of Russia, Kazakhstan, Iran, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan in the region and at the international level,“ Sergei Zhelezniak stated.

The parliamentarian also expressed his conviction that the partnership with the countries of the region will develop even more dynamically.

”As the President of Russia stressed earlier, our countries should more actively coordinate their efforts in the oil and gas sector, including within the framework of OPEC and other international gas organizations,“ the member of the State Duma reminded. “Among the new important tasks is the development of cooperation in the area of maritime transport and the development of seaports, which will require synchronization of administrative and customs procedures“.

”Achieving the agreement on the legal status of the Caspian Sea will increase the investment attractiveness of the region, will promote economic activity, stimulate cooperation in the humanitarian, educational and cultural spheres, and the expansion of cooperation between the regions of our countries,“ Sergei Zhelezniak concluded.

The presidents of Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan signed the Convention on the Status of the Caspian Sea at the Fifth Caspian Summit. The document regulates the shipping issues and fishing regimes,fixes the principles of the military and political interaction of the participating countries and guarantees the use of the Caspian Sea exclusively for peaceful purposes and the non-presence of the armed forces of extra-regional countries.