Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s opening remarks at the first meeting of the Interdepartmental Commission for Caspian Cooperation, Moscow, October 27, 2023

Colleagues,

I am delighted to welcome all of you at the first meeting of the Interdepartmental Commission for Caspian Cooperation established as per President Putin’s instructions. The commission includes members of concerned federal agencies and the heads of three littoral regions of Russia: the Astrakhan Region, the Republic of Dagestan and the Republic of Kalmykia. The establishment of the commission and its broad and impressive membership are fresh proof of the Caspian region’s strategic significance to Russia and the attention it is being given by the national leadership.

Over the past 30 years, we have developed a geopolitical community of five Caspian states: Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. Over that period, we have created a number of important five-member mechanisms, primarily in the environmental sphere. We have also coordinated the basic principles and rules of the parties’ operation, which have been incorporated in the Convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea, which Russia has ratified, and the decisions of six Caspian summits.

Regional issues are regularly discussed by the presidents and prime ministers of the five Caspian states. Cooperation in the five-member format has been boosted by the discussions held during  the 6th Caspian Summit in Ashgabat in June 2022 and the 2nd Caspian Economic Forum held in Moscow in October 2022. We are preparing for the 3rd Caspian Economic Forum.

Closer cooperation is especially important given the current geopolitical realities related to the ongoing creation of a fairer multipolar world where independent players in various regions will assert themselves and grow stronger as the new global centres of development and cooperation. In this context, the concerted efforts of the Caspian countries will become a major factor of security, stability and sustainable development throughout Eurasia.

Our job is to see how we can achieve Russia’s multifaceted interests in the Caspian region more effectively, and further unlock the region’s potential in trade, economic, transit, scientific, humanitarian and other fields, as well as in preserving the Caspian Sea’s fragile natural environment. The North-South International Transport Corridor is a project of high importance. The Russian leadership keeps its progress under priority review. All these aspects require close cooperation with the littoral states, harmonisation of their interests, and joint action in resolving Caspian problems. Moreover, according to the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea, only these five countries have exclusive decision-making competence with regard to this unique water body.

In our work, we rely on a solid international legal framework. Nine treaties among the five countries have entered into force in various areas, including the environment, economic, emergency response and disaster relief. Seven more documents have been signed by all littoral states and are currently undergoing respective domestic procedures. Ten projects concerning various areas of cooperation are at the negotiation and development stage.

All aspects of the five-way cooperation in the Caspian Sea region are interconnected in one way or another. With all the importance of the economic and environmental dimensions, as well as security, we need to pay more attention to humanitarian aspects, to establish new contacts in culture, science, education, and people-to-people ties. Of course, interregional and parliamentary contacts remain important tools.

Russia is committed to dedicated and constructive work in the Caspian Five format aimed at strengthening the region’s image as a zone of peace, harmony, neighbourly and fruitful international cooperation. Our interdepartmental commission is called upon to outline specific steps to achieve the objectives set by President Vladimir Putin and the Government.