Fifth Caspian Summit opening in Aktau

AKTAU. KAZINFORM - The Fifth Summit of the Heads of the Caspian Littoral States will take place in Aktau today. The Presidents of Kazakhstan, Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan are expected to participate in it, Kazinform correspondent reports.

The Summit will be held at the Friendship House built shortly before the Summit, which is already called as the Aktau Summit in view of the importance of the issues to be discussed there.

As Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kairat Abdrakhmanov said yesterday, alongside the Draft Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea, the sides established an extensive negotiating framework that includes 9 five-sided documents. Today, it is to be supplemented by seven new agreements.

"The main thing here is that thanks to the political will of the heads of Caspian states, the diplomatic efforts that have been made and the progressive search for compromises and mutually acceptable solutions, the sides managed to reach a consensus on all the issues concerning their interactions on the Caspian Sea. The draft Convention on the Legal Status of the Sea which is set to be signed by the presidents bears witness to that fact," said Kairat Abdrakhmanov.

According to the Kazakh Foreign Minister, five states have developed consolidated approaches towards sovereignty limitations and the sovereign and exclusive rights of the littoral states. The establishment of a reliable legal framework will expand the cooperation between all five countries: Kazakhstan, Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan.