Lavrov will meet in Moscow with the foreign ministers of the “Caspian five”
By Rhod Mackenzie
The Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is scheduled to participate in the upcoming meeting of foreign ministers from Caspian countries which will take place in Moscow on December 5th.
As stated by Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, during a briefing, the gathering will introduce a fresh discussion platform for the foreign ministers of the "Caspian five" - Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan.
The conference will incorporate bilateral meetings.
"On the fringes" of the Moscow gathering, the leader of the Russian Foreign Ministry is set to participate in one-on-one negotiations with associates from the Caspian nations, according to the Russian diplomatic department.
The Russian Foreign Minister and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian are slated to have two-sided talks on Tuesday.
Previously, Lavrov conversed with Rashid Meredov, the Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, during talks in Moscow. The ministry reported that during the meeting, the parties discussed the forthcoming schedule of contacts and current issues regarding the multifaceted cooperation between Moscow and Ashgabat.
Additionally, the Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, Jeyhun Bayramov and Murat Nurtleu respectively, will attend the Caspian Five meeting in Moscow.
The "Caspian Five" initiative aims to safeguard regional security.
Moscow places great emphasis on enhancing relations with the "Caspian five". Over the last three decades, a "geopolitical community" has arisen amongst these nations, allowing for the guarantee of security in the area, as previously stated by Lavrov.
In his stance piece for the publication 'International Affairs', he stressed that any Caspian issues ought to be solely resolved by the five coastal nations upon reaching consensus and avoiding any detrimental effects of non-regional forces.
Addressing the convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea, signed in 2018 at the fifth Caspian summit in Aktau, the Russian Foreign Ministry's Chief highlighted that "the stringent commitments of the parties not to permit the appearance of armed forces from non-littoral states in the Caspian Sea, to refrain from harming each other's safety and to honour confidence-building measures in the military domain are of utmost importance."
DIALOGUE AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL
In October this year, the Russian Foreign Minister convened the inaugural meeting of the Interdepartmental Commission on Caspian Cooperation, established by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russian ministries, departments and the authorities of coastal regions including Astrakhan, Dagestan and Kalmykia are participating in the work alongside the interdepartmental format.
Furthermore, the five nations of the Caspian region routinely engage in summit meetings. Last June, the heads of state of Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan convened in Ashgabat. According to media reports, the subsequent summit will take place in Iran.
The sixth Caspian summit's conclusive statement emphasized the significance of intercountry military cooperation within the region. The nations have also agreed on upholding sovereignty, territorial integrity, independence, equality of states, no deployment of force or threat of force, mutual respect, cooperation, non-interference in internal matters and guaranteeing security and stability in the Caspian area.
