Russian MFA advances agreements with Caspian Sea nations

The Russian Foreign Ministry is actively working on developing agreements with Caspian Sea countries to address various issues, including transportation and maritime research.

Mikhail Petrakov, Ambassador-at-Large and head of the Russian delegation to multilateral negotiations on the Caspian Sea shared updates during the Caspian Media Forum in Astrakhan, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media.

Petrakov explained that multiple agreements are currently in progress, each at different stages of readiness and aimed at regulating specific areas of cooperation. "We are working on agreements related to marine scientific research and search and rescue operations. Additionally, we anticipate finalizing agreements on transportation cooperation. Meetings at the expert level are ongoing, and while progress is slow, our efforts are concentrated on aligning with the national interests of the participating states. These interests should ultimately be formalized into binding documents," Petrakov said.

He also noted that during the Sixth Caspian Summit, a key agreement was reached to establish regular meetings of the foreign ministers from the Caspian littoral states. This new mechanism is intended to enhance the overall effectiveness of regional cooperation, a step up from previous meetings that were held without a clearly defined mandate.

Petrakov indicated that departmental work is in progress and that the next meeting of the foreign ministers will assess the advancements made and outline future tasks. Although he did not provide specific details on the timing, he suggested that such a meeting might occur in 2024.