Russian government approves draft agreement on Caspian transport
MOSCOW. KAZINFORM Russia's Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has approved the draft agreement between governments of Caspian bordering countries on cooperation in the transport area, set the task of holding talks and signing the agreement, according to the decree signed by Medvedev and released on the cabinet's website on Thursday.
"To entrust Russia's Transport Ministry assisted by Russia's Foreign Ministry with the task of holding talks with the Azerbaijani, Iranian, Kazakh and Turkmen sides, and once the agreement is reached to sign the mentioned agreement under the name of the Russian Federation's government, allowing amendments of non-fundamental nature into the draft if necessary," the document said.
The future agreement is aimed at "forming and developing the Caspian region as a major international transport and logistics hub with sophisticated infrastructure and high level of cooperation between the sides," the explanatory note said, TASS reports.
If signed, the agreement's implementation will contribute to "expansion of cooperation in the transport area between Caspian countries.
Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan are Caspian states. On June 29, 2018, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave directions to sign the Convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea. The legal status of the Caspian Sea remains the key issue discussed at the regional countries' summits. The five countries' leaders held their first meeting in Turkmenistan's capital of Ashgabat in 2002. The second Caspian summit was held in the Iranian capital of Tehran in 2007, while Azerbaijan's capital of Baku hosted the third summit in 2010, and Russia's Astrakhan hosted the fourth summit in 2014.