MOSCOW, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- The foreign ministers of Caspian littoral states agreed on the importance of strengthening economic, transport and security cooperation in a joint statement following their meeting in Moscow on Tuesday.
The meeting was chaired by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and was attended by the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.
"The deepening of practical cooperation between the Caspian states is also relevant in a broader sense, in the context of the formation of a multipolar world order," Lavrov said in his opening remarks.
"The joint work of the Caspian countries significantly contributes to ensuring security, stability and sustainable development on the Eurasian continent," he said.
Following their meeting, the participants agreed to increase the frequency of the meetings of the High-level Working Group on Caspian Sea Issues to speed up the approval of the draft agreement on the methodology for establishing straight baselines in the Caspian Sea, according to the joint statement published on the website of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
They further vowed to advance the negotiation process to approve agreements on military activity in the Caspian Sea, cooperation on search and rescue operations, marine scientific research, transport, security, and on joint cooperation in tackling illegal fishing, among other fields.
The participants emphasized the importance of the Caspian Economic Forum as a platform for discussing and developing trade and economic cooperation in the region, according to the statement.
They also voiced support for the creation of a working group that would focus on problems related to the shallowing of the Caspian Sea, and agreed on the importance of promoting cultural, humanitarian and tourism relations. ■