Summit of Caspian states' leaders opens in Turkmenistan

The VI Summit of the heads of the Caspian states has opened in the Turkmen capital Ashgabat.

The meeting is taking place at the Arkadag Hotel and began in a narrow format, which was opened by Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedow, according to Report.

The summit is attended by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who arrived in the capital of Turkmenistan on the morning of June 29.

The presidents of Russia, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Iran are also attending the summit.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Russian President Vladimir Putin are expected to meet on the sidelines of the summit.

The leaders of the five countries will have to consider a wide range of topics today, including ensuring peace, stability and security in the Caspian region, trade and economic cooperation, transport cooperation, ecology, tourism and humanitarian issues.

The meeting of the heads of state was preceded by a meeting of foreign ministers, who once again worked together on the agenda of the historic summit held in the Turkmen capital 20 years after the first Caspian summit held in 2002.

In particular, the diplomats agreed to hold regular meetings, expand the powers of the High-level Working Group on the Caspian Sea and adopted the text of the Communique, which will become the final document of the summit after approval at the highest level.