The leaders of countries bordering the Caspian Sea—Turkmenistan, Russia, Iran, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan—met in Ashgabat on Tuesday for the sixth Caspian Summit. The leaders discussed steps to ensure peace and stability in the region and agreed to expand energy, commercial, transport, and environmental cooperation. The following is a brief summary of the summit:
Joint Communiqué
The leaders stressed the importance of maintaining the Caspian Sea as a “region of peace, good neighbourliness, and friendship, where all issues are resolved peacefully.” In this respect, they called for ensuring a “sustainable balance between arsenals of the Caspian Sea littoral states and the development of their military capabilities without harming the security of each other.”
Accordingly, the communiqué said that countries’ activities in the region should respect the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of other countries, and refrain from interference in each other’s internal affairs.
The statement stressed that the “use of force or threats to use it should be avoided while mutual respect and cooperation must be observed.” Furthermore, the leaders said that “no foreign armed forces should be present in the Caspian Sea region and no country should allow others to use its territory for military action and acts of aggression” against any littoral state.
Presidents of Caspian littoral states stress non-presence of foreign armed forces in #CaspianSea https://t.co/XjcO5Rfgot pic.twitter.com/0HCc0vtx7Q
— Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran (@Iran_GOV) June 30, 2022
The leaders also said that their countries are “united in ensuring that in the conditions of the current global turbulence, the region is reliably guaranteed from its consequences and impact,” referring to the global economic turbulence caused by the ongoing war in Ukraine.
They also reaffirmed their commitment to combatting terrorist threats, drug trafficking, organised crime, and other illegal activities in the region. In addition, the document noted the leaders’ willingness to increase cooperation in the fields of energy, economy, and infrastructure.
The document further noted the five countries’ willingness to preserve the ecology of the Caspian Sea, wherein they called for the “regulation of the use of joint aquatic biological resources, […] protection of the natural environment of the Caspian Sea, conservation, restoration and rational use of its biological resources.” The statement also called for the “promotion of scientific research in the field of ecology, conservation and use of the biological resources of the Caspian Sea.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin
Putin said prosperity in the Caspian Sea can only “be guaranteed by an unfailing commitment to the principles enshrined in the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea.” Adopted in 2018, the Convention states that only littoral states are responsible for the Caspian Sea’s “preservation and its sustainable development for current and future generations.”
He noted that members have “tremendous opportunities” to cooperate in the field of energy and called on the Caspian “five” to endorse both “the conventional and the innovative” as well as “alternative energy sectors rationally and effectively while serving the interests of all the parties.”
Putin also said that states must place greater emphasis to transport cooperation and turn the region into a “major international logistics hub.” In this respect, the Russian president proposed integrating the 7,200-kilometre International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) with the Caspian Sea alliance. The INSTC is a multimodal network of ship, road, and rail to transport freight and connects major countries in South Asia, Central Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, including Russia, India, Iran, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, and Oman.
He also called for greater cooperation in the fields of environment, climate change, and counterterrorism.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi
Calling the Caspian Sea a “sea of cooperation,” Raisi stressed that members should stay united because it will “not only lead to economic prosperity and increase the welfare of our nations, but also strengthen regional peace and stability and solving the problems of the Caspian Sea zone merely through its coastal countries.”
He reiterated that only littoral states can decide on the Caspian Sea and resolve its issues and noted that this point is emphasised by the 2018 Convention. He called the Convention a “beacon” that protects the rights of Caspian Sea states and “closes the way for third and non-Caspian parties to intervene in issues related to the Caspian Sea or to commit aggression.”
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin met on the sidelines of the leaders’ summit of Caspian Sea littoral states in Ashgabat. pic.twitter.com/1xtEg24jrU
— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) June 29, 2022
He emphasised that the five members should step up cooperation in the fields of transportation, trade, live resource management, environmental protection, security, and combatting causes of insecurity and crimes in various forms.
“Iran is ready to provide transit and access to the Caspian Sea littoral states to other countries and regions, especially Iranian ports in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman through its territory,” Raisi stated, adding, “Iran considers the Caspian Sea a sea of peace and friendship, and the source of bonds and closeness of the people of the region and declares its readiness for comprehensive cooperation based on mutual respect and interests.”
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev
Aliyev noted that Caspian Sea states should widen engagement with international organisations like the United Nations, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in order to bolster efforts at “maintaining the stability and security of the Caspian Sea.”
“The Caspian Sea is an important component of many international and regional projects aimed at improving the well-being of the peoples of our region,” he said, adding that the key priorities of littoral states should be “the desire to create favourable conditions for the development of mutually beneficial economic cooperation, improve the investment climate, create reliable and secure communications, and attract highly profitable and environmentally friendly technologies.”
He also mentioned that Azerbaijan is a “significant transportation and logistical centre” of the region and “will make it possible to use the transport potential of the Caspian littoral states to the maximum extent and contribute to the implementation of new projects for the development of transport infrastructure.”
Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov
Berdimuhamedov stressed the importance of “holding regular meetings at the level of heads of foreign ministries” to ensure that there is regular communication between states. He called on investors and financial institutions to pay more attention to the region and invest in the neighbourhood. Berdimuhamedov said that the Caspian Sea states provided “good conditions” for entrepreneurship and are attractive for long-term investments since they are free from “obsolete barriers and obstacles.”
Furthermore, Turkmenistan’s new president called for greater industrial and technological cooperation between members.
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev
Reiterating his counterparts' statements, Tokayev called for greater cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, environment, transportation, and logistics. He proposed the establishment of a “Caspian food hub” to open up “new opportunities for effective cooperation” between farmers, buyers, carriers, sellers and consumers.
Tokayev also said that Caspian countries should focus on limiting climate change-related disasters and “develop a regional mechanism for the prevention and elimination of consequences.”
“I am sure that the initiatives outlined today for the further comprehensive deepening of Caspian cooperation will be implemented in a quality and timely manner,” he concluded.