Caspian nations agree on using Sea for peaceful purposes

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Leaders of the Caspian Five have agreed to use the Caspian Sea for peaceful purposes and ensure regional security, according to a communique adopted following the Wednesday summit.

Turkmenistan's capital, Ashgabat, hosted the 6th Caspian Summit with leaders of Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, and Russia in attendance.

"The presidents reaffirmed that the activities of the coastal states on the Caspian Sea will be carried out on the basis of the following principles: ... using the Caspian Sea for peaceful purposes, turning it into a zone of peace, good neighborliness, friendship and cooperation, resolving all issues related to the Caspian Sea by peaceful means," the communique read.

The presidents also confirmed the non-provision of their territory to other countries for aggression and adherence to the principle of non-deployment of the military of third countries at the Caspian Sea.

Iran will host the next summit of the organization.

Putin: Caspian nations responsible for preserving the region

During the Summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin pointed out that his country "has consistently called for boosting partnership relations between the five Caspian nations in the fields of politics, security, economy and environmental protection, as well as on many humanitarian aspects."

Putin pointed out that the strict adherence to the principles of the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea would guarantee the region’s prosperity.

He considered that the five Caspian nations are responsible for preserving the Caspian Sea and ensuring sustainable regional development.

The Russian President also confirmed that "among the key tasks we consider further building up regional trade and investment ties, deepening mutually beneficial industrial and high-tech cooperation."

Putin mentioned that the volume of Russian trade with the Caspian nations is constantly growing, noting that in 2021, the trade turnover increased by more than a third, and in January-April of this year, it continued to grow.

Putin's first tour of foreign countries since war in Ukraine

Putin is on his first tour of foreign countries since the start of the war in Ukraine. He visited Tajikistan on Tuesday and arrived in Turkmenistan on Wednesday.

Before the summit, he met with the Turkmenistan President and considered that the five-way summit would be a very important and meaningful event for the two nations and the whole region.

The Russian President is scheduled to have a separate meeting with his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi.

The summit comes at a time when the West is aiming to shift away from Russian natural resources.