Azerbaijan may host meeting on Caspian Convention implementation

ASTANA. KAZINFORM - The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kairat Abdrakhmanov, has announced the approximate date for the meeting on the implementation of the provisions of the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea, Kazinform correspondent reports.

"According to the instruction given by the Heads of State, this meeting is to be held at least 6 months after the Caspian Summit. We have agreed that the group will meet and begin the work in autumn this year. The meeting has been tentatively scheduled to take place in Azerbaijan," the minister said on the sidelines of today's session of the Government.

He said that by signing the Convention, the Heads of State "reiterated their firm commitment to establishing a zone of peace, security, cooperation, sustainable development in this vast region".

"As one of the crucial aspects of future activities in the Caspian Sea, our President underlined the need to develop joint confidence-building measures in the military field. He also made proposals for the strengthening of the trade and economic cooperation, as well as the protection of biological resources in the Caspian Sea," the Foreign Minister added.

It is to be recalled that the Summit with the participation of the Heads of State of the Caspian Sea region was held in Aktau this past weekend. One of the main results of the event was the signing of the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea.