Turkmen FM hopes ministerial meeting of Caspian countries will be held before year-end

Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov has expressed hope that by the end of the year the Meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Caspian countries, initiated by the Russian Federation, would be held, Report informs referring to the Turkmen Foreign Ministry.

Meredov was speaking at the International Conference "The Caspian Sea - the Sea of Peace and Friendship", which is being held in the Avaza National Tourist Zone on the Turkmen coast of the Caspian Sea.

"Turkmenistan is convinced that today the main task is to maximize the use of the established cooperation mechanisms in the Caspian Sea, reflected primarily in the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea. The key role in coordinating this work is assigned to the foreign affairs agencies of the Caspian states," Meredov noted.

"Frankly, in the five years that have passed since the adoption of the Convention, we cannot state noticeable results here. This situation must be changed using the available opportunities and formats. The most important agreements reached by the heads of state must be fully implemented," the head of the Turkmen Foreign Ministry emphasized.

In this regard, Meredov reminded that "this year, on the initiative of the Russian Federation, it was planned to hold a meeting of foreign ministers of the Caspian states."

"Turkmenistan reacted positively to this initiative in a timely manner and fully supported it. Unfortunately, the meeting has not yet taken place. We hope that it will be held by the end of the year," Meredov said.

"We consider it necessary to consider at the above meeting, first of all, issues related to the practical implementation of the provisions of the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea and other five-sided documents adopted by the Caspian countries," the head of the Turkmen Foreign Ministry added.