Irans Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif speaks to reporters in Moscow on April 22, 2014.[/caption]Irans Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says the five littoral states of the Caspian Sea have agreed to prevent the presence of foreign powers in the body of water.
Zarif made the remarks while speaking to reporters in the Russian capital of Moscow on Tuesday at the end of a ministerial meeting on the land-locked sea.
In the meeting, good decisions were made on the Caspian Sea states cooperation in the fields of the environment, protection of the living resources of the Caspian Sea and maintenance of its stability and security as well as prevention of the foreigners presence in this body of water, the Iranian minister said.
He expressed hope that the agreements would pave the way for further cooperation among the Caspian Sea littoral states.
Zarif further added that the foreign ministers also reached good agreements on the text of the declaration and statement to be released at the next summit of the Caspian Sea coastal states due to be held in the Russian port city of Astrakhan this fall.
He also called on the Caspian Sea littoral states to make joint efforts to achieve economic development objectives on the basis of regulations and the principle of fairness.
The Islamic Republic of Iran has always called for expansion of economic cooperation between the Caspian Sea littoral states and we are ready to boost cooperation with these countries at all levels, he said.
Addressing a foreign ministerial meeting of the Caspian Sea coastal states in the Russian capital on Tuesday, Zarif said the legal regime of the Caspian Sea must ensure sustainable peace and stability in the region.
The legal regime of the Caspian Sea will be determined in a way that will meet the expectations and needs of the people of [its] littoral states, including the current and future generations, he stated.
Iran, Russia, Kazakhstan, the Republic of Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan make up the littoral states of the Caspian Sea.
The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water by area, and is variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea.
The issue of the Caspian Seas legal regime has gained importance following the breakup of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and the emergence of newly independent states.
By Press TV
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